Mill Mountain Theatre brought their Young Audiences production of “The Jungle Book” to the Vinton Public Library on June 16. The summer outreach program takes live theatre to “unconventional settings, including parks and libraries.” They will be performing “Jungle Book” at various locations in Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem, and Vinton through July 1.
Around 250 children and their families attended the free performance outdoors on the patio. Children’s Library Assistant Patty Kiser elected to stage the production outdoors due to the large number who registered to attend, more than the meeting room could hold.
This version of “The Jungle Book” was a 30-minute short play adapting the classic fables of Rudyard Kipling, set in the jungle of India featuring the feral boy Mowgli and his animal protectors and enemies. Mowgli is adopted by a wolf pack, threatened by the tiger Shere Khan, and educated by Baloo, the bear.
Published in 1894, “The Jungle Book” has been adapted many times for both film and stage
Mill Mountain’s production features apprentices Christopher Castanho, Claire Hilton, Lizzy Hinton, Rosvic Siason, Alex Vinh, Josh Walker, and Brian Wittenberg, with stage management by Heidi Rothra, sound design by Savannah Woodruff, costume design by Ramzi Jneid, and set and prop design by Katie Ward.
Cast members are college-level drama students hired especially for this project.
The cast thanked their grantors for their support, saying “It truly takes the whole community to bring our summer tour to you and we couldn’t have done it without the support of the Virginia Commission of the Arts, the City of Roanoke Arts Commission, the City of Salem, Roanoke County, the Sam and Marion Golden Helping Hands Foundation, the Kathryn B. McQuade Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.”
Sponsors of the 2017 Young Audience Series of performances include Carilion Clinic, Davis H. Elliot Co., American National Bank, Lanford Brothers, Woods Rogers PLC, LeClair Ryan, Chocolate Paper, the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke, Clayton/Wirt Associates, Roanoke Valley Orthodontics, Kroger, and Friendship Foundation.
A full schedule of the remaining performances is posted at www.millmountain.org.
