The Mill Mountain Theatre Young Audiences performance series brought “A Year with Frog and Toad” to the Vinton Library on June 15. The play is based on the beloved Frog and Toad children’s series by Arnold Lobel. Brothers Robert and Willie Reale collaborated on the stage version— Robert composed the music; Willie, the book and lyrics.
This was the first children’s show to bring professional children’s theatre to Broadway, premiering in 2002. It was nominated for three Tony Awards in 2003— Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score.
Mill Mountain Theatre (MMT) describes the production as “a charming musical about a year in the life of two amphibian friends and a host of other woodland characters, with songs about flying, swimming, and sledding that takes young audiences into a fantasy forest of new friends and adventures.” There are also lessons to be learned subtly about responsibility and facing fears.
The cast has been performing the 60-minute, one-act, community-outreach show around the region since early June and will continue through June 30 at schools, libraries, churches, parks, and neighborhood venues.
They are members of the 2018 Summer Apprentice Company, “an immersive experience designed to propel young artists into their professional careers” and generally comprised of college students pursuing a professional career in the arts. This is a paid apprenticeship, this year from May 21 to August 12.
The cast includes Ryan Koch as the reserved, worrywart Toad, Cody Edwards as the “glass is half full” cheerful Frog, Roberto Mendez as Snail and other woodland characters, Reilly Lincavicks as Mouse (and Bird, Squirrel, Wolf, and Mole), and Madeline Walker as Turtle and several other characters.
The very talented performers auditioned for their roles locally and at the South Eastern Theatre Conference, where MMT Resident Creative and Teaching Artist Christopher Castanho says they saw over 1,000 performers audition. The “Frog and Toad” cast comes from all over— Florida, Connecticut, Virginia, and Georgia, although none are from the Roanoke area.
Stage manager for the “Frog and Toad” production is Sarah Nearhoff; costume designer, Sera Bourgeau; set and prop designer, Matt Shields; with sound design by Savannah Woodruff. As in past years, the costumes, set, and props are eye-catching to mesmerize the preschoolers in the audiences. The music is delightful. The scenes change quickly to keep children engaged.
Castanho says the Young Audiences series “was created to appeal to younger audiences and families, doing programming that would appeal to children.” This is the fourth year of the free summer tours with five tours completed in that time. Last year’s memorable production which MMT brought to the Vinton Library was “The Jungle Book.”
The cast thanked their grantors: Center in the Square, the City of Roanoke Arts Commission, the City of Salem, Friendship Foundation, Star City Reads, the Turn the Pages Foundation, the Theatre Communications Group, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
Their sponsors for the series include Roanoke Valley Orthodontics, Lanford Brothers, Business Solutions, the Davis H. Elliott Company, Woods Rogers, the Rotary Club of Salem, Carilion Clinic, the Kathryn B. McQuade Foundation, Kroger, and the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke.
The musical “Shrek” will be coming to the Mill Mountain Theatre Main Stage in August through the Theatre for Young Audiences program. All the cast of “Frog and Toad” will be involved. Ryan Koch will appear as Shrek, Madeline Walker as Dragon, and Cody Edwards as Lord Farquaad. Reilly Licanvicks will be wardrobe backstage, and Roberto Mendez will be assistant director and assistant stage manager.
If you missed the performance in Vinton, be sure to catch another show. Go early; the performance in Vinton was packed with over 100 in attendance.
Admission is free and MMT has been distributing free books to children in the audiences as part of its initiative to connect theatre to literacy.
Performances remain at Countryside Park on June 23 at 10 a.m., at South County Library on June 26 at 3 p.m., at Jackson Park Library on June 27 at 3 p.m., at the Salem Public Library on June 29 at 10 a.m., and at Heights Community Church on June 30 at 10 a.m.
For more information on the 2018 Mill Mountain Theatre season and to purchase tickets, visit millmountain.org/tickets/.
