Monthly Archives: March 2014

March 21, 22, and 23

Before Anna got “frozen,” Rapunzel got “tangled”, Fiona met her ogre, and Belle tamed her Beast, there was… Princess Winnifred! Acting Up, the Young Performer’s Community Theater based in Mason is proud to present Once Upon a Mattress, a musical based on the beloved Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. A Broadway favorite, which launched the career of a young Carol Burnett as Winnifred herself, Acting Up’s production of this timeless classic will provide a fresh, contemporary spin on this classic tale.

Four performances of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS

• Friday, March 21 at 7:30 pm
• Saturday, March 22 at 3:00 pm (sign language interpreter provided)
• Saturday, March 22 at 7:30 pm
• Sunday, March 23 at 3:00 pm

at the Mason Middle School Theater, 6307 Mason Montgomery Road, Mason OH 45040

Tickets are only $12 each and may be purchased online at www.ActingUp.com or at the door starting one hour before each performance.

Who is Princess Winnifred? Certainly not your average fairy-tale Princess. Calling a swamp her childhood home, Winnifred the Woebegone (or Fred as she’s often called) is just an ordinary, yet high-spirited girl… who wants to get out of her swamp. Her knight-in-shining-armor? Prince Dauntless the Drab. Controlled by his over-bearing mother, Queen Aggravain, Dauntless yearns to meet the girl of dreams, yet one who will receive his mother’s approval.

Drawn by true love, Fred swims the castle moat to be with the young Prince… and face the ultimate “princess-proving” test: only a true princess will feel something as small as a pea under her mattress. Make that twenty mattresses! Yet, is it really a pea that is keeping poor Fred up at night? Add to this tale an “unconventional” romance between the beautiful Lady Larkin and the dashing Sir Harry, and an evil Wizard who serves only the sly Queen, and a Minstrel, who not only narrates the story, but interjects himself into it, and you have the makings of riotous romp around the kingdom with surprises hidden around ever castle corner.

Acting Up’s version of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS will feature a cast of approximately 75 talented youngsters ages 6 to 18, hailing from all over the Cincinnati area. The director is Joel Saeks, Jeanne Bilyeu is the vocal director, and Emily Brinkman is the choreographer. The cast features Autumn Carter as Winnifred, Cole Hankins as her Prince Dauntles, Emily Meinerding as Queen Aggravain, Michael Kaper as her ever-silent King Sextimus, and Dane Morey as the Minstrel.

Acting Up is an all-volunteer, young performer’s community theater which strives to bring high-quality, polished theatrical productions to the northwest suburbs. They stress family involvement and working with the community to provide an enjoyable, educational and an enriching experience for all. Acting Up is a member of ACT Cincinnati and has won well over 100 awards in the last 5 years.

Acting Up will present four shows of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS on March 21, 22 and 23, at the Mason Middle School Theater, 6370 Mason Montgomery Road, Mason, OH 45040. Performances will be Friday, March 21 at 7:30 pm; Saturday, March 22 at 3 pm. (sign language interpreter will be provided), and 7:30 pm; and Sunday, March 23 at 3 pm. Tickets are only $12. You can purchase your tickets online at www.ActingUp.com or at the box office starting one hour before the show. Supported by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. ONCE UPON A MATTRESS is presented through special arrangement with R&H Theatricals: www.rnh.com. For more information, visit www.ActingUp.com or call 513-494-6062.