Archive: Arts & Entertainment

After enchanting families in 2016 & 2017, the Cherry Artists Collective, Ithaca's source for innovative theater, revives Ithaca's unexpected and delightful annual holiday favorite The Snow Queen for a third magical year. Featuring live actors, original puppetry and live music, this classic story of friendship and tenacity will captivate adults and thrill mature young audiences (ages 7+) for ten performances, this December 12-22.

The Cherry's version of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale (which inspired Disney's Frozen) was developed from scratch in 2016 by members of the Cherry Arts company, resulting in an innovative and completely unique theatrical adaptation. Each season the show grows with new songs, new puppetry and fresh theatrical magic, and this year is no exception. Director Buggeln says about the show, "We are so excited to return to this material for a third year. The innovations we have been able to make based on our experience of the last two years are making the show sparkle like never before!"

The Snow Queen tells the story of Greta, a brave young girl on a mission to rescue her best friend Kai from the clutches of the Queen, encountering along the way a friendly reindeer, a chatty raven, a feisty robber girl, and a host of other curious characters. In the show's first two years, audiences and press have been enraptured: the Ithaca times said, "The Snow Queen dazzles!... A talented, lively cast, and an imaginative mash-up of theatrical devices… always inventive… simply wonderful."

Buggeln says, "In The Snow Queen, we're aiming to capture the real magic of the original. Andersen's tale is something like Alice in Wonderland, full of weird and wonderful imagery that doesn't necessarily add up to a conventional narrative. We've woven Andersen's fantastical events into a story that is magical and engaging for both adults and children, without losing the deliciously trippy quality of the original."

The script was written by Cherry Artistic Director Samuel Buggeln, who also directs. The original music is by Paul Leschen, with original lyrics by Cornell professor and National Book Award finalist Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon. Puppetry is directed by Scott Hitz, and characters and design elements are based on original drawings by Ithaca-based fantasy illustrator Rachel Terwilliger.

The cast of The Snow Queen features Eric Brooks*, Carolyn Goelzer*, Jeffrey Guyton*, Effie Johnson*, Benno Ressa, Sally Shaw, Joshua Wilde, and Sylvie Yntema (*members, AEA). The creative team for The Snow Queen includes Nick Guerrero (music director), Sasha Oliveau and Liz Woods (costumes), and E.D. Intemann (lighting design).

Discount Preview: Wed Dec 12 at 7:30 Opening Night & Reception: Thu Dec 13 at 7:30 Performances: Fri Dec 14 at 7:30; Sat Dec 15 at 2:00 & 7:30; Sun Dec 16 at 3:00 Thu Dec 20 at 7:30; Fri Dec 21 at 7:30; Sat Dec 22 at 2:00 & 7:30

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