The 17 student actors and crew members of Bayfield High School will wrap up their production of “The Phantom Tollbooth” tonight and Friday night and they do so as Thespian Troupe 5509.
If you go
WHAT: Bayfield High School Thespian troupe 5509 present “The Phantom Tollbooth”
WHEN: 7 p.m. today and Friday
WHERE: Bayfield Performing Arts Center, 800 County Road 501, Bayfield
TICKETS: $12 general admission, $10 students
MORE INFORMATION: Visit https://tinyurl.com/3mhut8a6
“Troupe 5509 was reinstated after earning recognition through the International Thespian Society,” said Theatre Director Sarah Ripley in an email. “This designation reflects a commitment to theatre arts, student achievement and participation in a larger network of high school theatre programs.”
“The Phantom Tollbooth” is based on the classic children’s book by Norton Juster, written in 1961. The play features music by Arnold Black and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. It’s the story of a very bored Milo, who, according to Musical Theatre International, is transported to the Land of Wisdom, courtesy of the Phantom Tollbooth, “where he is thrust into adventure when he is told Princesses Rhyme and Reason need rescuing to bring peace between two kings. They are divided over which is more important: words or numbers. Knee-deep in danger, language and math along the way, Milo learns everything has a purpose.”
The show was chosen for a few reason, Ripley said.
“‘The Phantom Tollbooth,’ was selected for its imaginative storytelling, playful and colorful characters, and themes about learning, curiosity and perspective,” she said. “While some students were familiar with the classic story, many were introduced to it for the first time through the rehearsal process – making discovery of this 1960s children’s novel part of the experience.”
A family friendly show, Ripley said “Phantom” has been a fun production to stage: The story is energetic, with witty humor, puns and wordplay.
“Students have embraced the challenge of bringing abstract concepts like time, numbers and words to life on stage,” she said.
Like any production, there are challenges, Ripley said. Bayfield is a small school district, and students are involved in multiple extracurricular activities, so that has required flexibility and developing time-management skills, she said. Plus, some of the cast members are playing more than one character, “which has pushed them to stretch their skills and stay adaptable throughout the rehearsal process,” she said.
And for Ripley, when the cast takes its final bow and audience members head out into the night, she hopes the show stays with them.
“Ultimately, ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ is for audiences to leave feeling a little more curious, and a little more thoughtful,” she said. “The show celebrates the idea that learning doesn’t have to be boring, and that words and numbers can actually be pretty entertaining when they’re not on a test. As the story reminds us, ‘So many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible’ If audiences leave smiling – and maybe thinking a bit differently their perspective of learning – we’ve done our job.”
katie@durangoherald.com
