Matilda

In this article, Amber talks about the recent production of Matilda: The Musical, and also talks about upcoming theatre events.

Community Theatre in Grants Pass

By Amber Medina-Montoya

One Eleven Theatre Company has recently wrapped up their production of Matilda: The Musical, and the show run went smoothly. Running from Mar. 31 to Apr. 16 for three weekends in a row, the production saw large crowds and happy audiences!

Synopsis of Matilda The Musical

Matilda: The Musical, written by Dennis Kelly, follows the story of the classic book Matilda. A young girl named Matilda Wormwood was never really wanted by her parents and was always subject to name-calling and humiliation from her mother and father, Mrs. and Mr. Wormwood. Despite the harassment from her family, she loves to read and has a huge imagination. When she is sent off to school at Crunchem Hall, run by feared headmistress Agatha Trunchbull. Trunchbull is feared among the students and teacher Ms. Honey due to her hotheadedness, hatred for children, and cruel treatment. Throughout the story, Matilda befriends librarian Mrs. Phelps, Miss Honey, and many more. About halfway through Act 2 of the show, it is revealed that Matilda has telekinesis, and she uses it to scare Trunchbull out of school. By the end of the show, the students are free from Trunchbull’s terrifying rule, and Miss Honey takes over as headmistress. Matilda has her own happy ending as well, as her parents allow Miss Honey to take guardianship of Matilda, and the two live together happily. The music for the show was written by Tim Minchin. Some songs from the musical include fan favorites “Loud” and “Revolting Children” along with “School Song” and “Miracle”.

Cast and Crew

The show has a large cast of actors. The main characters include Ava Hacker as Matilda, Krista Wehking as Agatha Trunchbull, Nikki Hill as Miss Honey, Marissa Christensen as Mrs. Wormwood, Todd Sautter as Mr. Wormwood, Alissa Barry as Mrs. Phelps, Keith Leamons as The Escapologist, Tawnya Jones as The Acrobat, Cody Wright as Rudolpho, Kenneth Jones as the Doctor and one of the Russian Henchmen, Porter Leamons as Michael Wormwood, and Jack Bagin as Sergei. The Little Kids of the show included Brody Revercomb as Bruce, Jordis Eve Christensen, Brooklyn Morrison, Naomi Sautter, Hannah Jones, Frankie Escandon, Liam Roby, Logan Starkey, Audrey Bruins, Eleanor Standley, and Soliel McLain. The show also featured a cast of Big Kids, played by Alanah Smolinski, Alissa Barry, Brodie Donaldson, Eden Geier, Harley Manning, Jay Duran, Afton Christensen, Kallie Weiss, Rubi Madrigal, Ronnie Nusbaum, Rylie Revercomb, and Siena Eaggleston.

Behind the scenes was also a large team of people making technical magic happen, as well. Helping lead the technical aspect was Ruru Painter as the Stage Manager, with Amber Medina-Montoya and Tristan Ryerson running the production backstage as Assistant Stage Managers. The backstage run crew included Gabby Dean, Nox McNamara, Connor Pylant, Forest Glover, Arlo, and Kiara, who helped set the scenes for the show on multiple occasions. On the catwalks of the PAC were Jeremy Pyle and Andrea Gettling operating the spotlights.

The Production Team included Sandra Castle as Director, Choreographer Jocelyn Schmidt, Music Director Kristen Ryerson, Ron Strom as the Orchestra Pit Conductor, Ruru Painter as Stage Manager, Connor Pylant running Props and Special Effects, Clyde Highbarger as Light Designer and running lights, and Ryan Kelley as Sound Designer.

Photo Credits for Both Pictures: One Eleven Theatre Company

Upcoming Events

Now that Matilda: the Musical has closed, there are a handful of upcoming shows and theatre events that theatre fans can get ready for! This summer, Rogue Music Theatre is doing a production of Grease! Next spring, One Eleven Music Theatre is putting on Tuck Everlasting, as well. Barnstormers has also recently announced their next season of shows including The Sunshine Boys, Dracula, Nuncrackers, The Nerd, The Outsider, The Crucible, and The 39 Steps. These shows will be taking place later in the year, so keep an eye out for those! One Eleven Music Theatre is also doing a Summer Theatre Camp this July for kids 7-17 where they will be doing a junior production of The Wizard of Oz. Barnstormers will also be hosting a youth summer camp, as well! They will be putting on Troubles in Time: Back to the Present. If you or anyone's kids would like to get involved in these, then check out their websites!

Wrap-Up

If you can’t tell, theatre in Grants Pass is constantly happening, with major musicals in the spring and summer with shows at Barnstormers filling in the gaps! If you find yourself with some extra time, why not check out which shows are happening? There is always something. If you would like to get involved in a show, whether it is acting or doing tech backstage, you can always reach out to the directors of current shows and find a way to get involved, companies around here love the help!

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