Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Left to Right Front Row: Megan Tomei (Ensemble), Akila Foreman (Princess Reason), Diana Truman (Queen Azaz), Natalie Myrick (Milo), Tucker Boggs (Tock), Gretchen Vosburg (Princess Rhyme), Ben Teitelbaum (Ensemble). Left to Right Back Row: Sara Cuozzo-Gonzalez (Ensemble), Conor Bryant (Ensemble), Jacob Entenmen (The Humbug), Laruen Grajewski (The Mathamagician), Erin Amlicke (Spelling Bee), Tessa Coleman (Ensemble), Sarina Freda (Ensemble). Photo by Rachel Philipson.Journey with Milo through the Land of Wisdom on her quest to help the exiled Princesses Rhyme and Reason from the Land of Ignorance in this adaptation of the beloved children's fantasy novel! In creating peace and balance amidst the conflict between Words and Numbers, Milo discovers a joy in learning that cures her bouts of boredom.

Directed by Amanda McRaven, this version of the classic story has a female-fronted cast full of "queens" instead of "kings" and a female Milo. "I wanted the kids in our audience to see a world where women are the protagonists, the rulers, the bad guys and the good guys, where they aren't rescued from towers by men, and where men and women share agency. As a storyteller, my wish is for all children to grow up knowing that adventure stories don't belong to any one gender," says McRaven, a member of the Hangar Drama League Directing Fellows.

The first four KIDDSTUFF shows feature the work of the Hangar's Drama League Directing Fellows and members of the Hangar Theatre Lab Company, a troupe of rising artists from across the nation. The Directing Fellows and Lab Company members also produce The Wedge series of free cutting-edge plays at the Cherry Artspace (for adults). hangartheatre.org/the-wedge

The Phantom Tollbooth will be followed by Lily Plants a Garden (July 4-6), Jack and The Beanstalk (July 11-13), Unicorn Girl (July 25-27), and Mary Poppins Jr. presented by the Hangar's Next Generation School of Theatre (August 1-3).

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