Jonathan King
Kay (Zoe Brewer), Gerda (Hannah Cooper) and Snow Queen (Ashley Cooper).
Jonathan King
Kay and Gerda build a snowman.
Jonathan King
Gerda and Conjurer (Grace Mills) in the magical garden.
For GreerToday.com
“The Snow Queen” a musical, takes center stage next weekend at the Mauldin Cultural Center.
It's the story of Gerda, a young girl whose best friend, Kay, is kidnapped by the Snow Queen, and the adventures she has on her way to the rescue.
Husband and wife duo John and Andrea Lathbury of American Callboard Theatrical have an especially deep connection to the show – they created it. John adapted the play from the original Hans Christian Andersen tale, and Andrea wrote the music and lyrics.
“I really like getting people to look at things from a different perspective,” said Andrea. “By the time you get to the end, you’ve completely changed your mind about winter itself.”
For Lydia Cooper, who plays the grandmother and the robber mom, it’s her love for children that makes her role special.
“I think it’s a lot of fun as an adult to do a play with children,” said Cooper. “I’m a kindergarten teacher, so I go from teaching children all day to working here. It’s a different frame of mind, but as a kindergarten teacher, I’m an entertainer too.”
More than that, it’s a family affair. Two of Cooper’s daughters have major roles, while two more help behind the scenes.
“I’m looking forward to seeing my girls onstage,” said Cooper. “Ashley has done a lot of theater and is at the Fine Arts Center. But this is Hannah’s first time onstage, and for her to have such a good-sized role, it’s going to be cool to see.”
Indeed, both the main actresses are making their debut. Zoe Brewster, who plays Kay, said of her role, “I like being onstage and being an actress because this is my first play I’ve ever did.”
As for the Snow Queen herself, Ashley Cooper can’t wait for the world to see the show.
“I just want everybody to love our play as much as we do,” said Ashley. “It’s so hopeful seeing Skathi’s (The Snow Queen’s) transformation from being frozen and how misunderstood she was. I like to make people like her, because she’s not so evil.”
Narrator Aiden Fletcher also wants everyone to come see “The Snow Queen.” “I just want to sell out, because I’ve always found it amazing to open curtain to a huge amount of people.”
“The Snow Queen” runs Dec. 4-6 at the Mauldin Cultural Center. Shows start at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children.
Cast
|
Zoe |
Brewer |
Kay |
|
McKenzie |
Cannady |
princess guest/sprite |
|
Hannah |
Cooper |
Gerda |
|
Ashley |
Cooper |
Snow Queen |
|
Lydia |
Cooper |
Grandma/Robber Mother |
|
Andrew |
Espittia |
Reindeer Herder/Robber |
|
Aiden |
Fletcher |
Narrator |
|
Chance |
Lanham |
Goblin |
|
Kaleb |
Lanham |
Crow |
|
Yaci |
Li |
Princess/Sprite |
|
Grace |
Mills |
Conjurer/Finland Woman |
|
Bryson |
Neal |
sprite/robber |
|
Margarita |
Quinten |
Crow's Wife/Robber |
|
Salena |
Scudiero |
Robber Girl/sprite |