Starlight’s 35th Anniversary Production
The cast: The White Knight (Leah Miller, North Adams), the White Queen (Thalia Rossiter, North Adams), the White King (Cassie Peltier, Williamstown), the Red Queen (Maggie Crane, Williamstown), and Tweedle-Dee (Molly Hynes, Williamstown) with Alice (Rebekah Packer, Williamstown) below and Humpty Dumpty (Evan Schueckler, Stamford, VT) above. Photo: Robert Y. Burns
Published six years after “Alice in Wonderland,” but set only six months later in Alice’s life, “Through the Looking Glass” is often combined with Carroll’s earlier book in stage and film adaptations into a single story. While there is no Mad Tea Party and not even the Cheshire Cat’s grin makes an appearance, “Through the Looking Glass” contains some of Carroll’s most beloved characters – the White Knight, Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee, Humpty-Dumpty, the Walrus and the Carpenter, and, of course, the Jabberwock, as the Red and White Queens lead Alice across the chessboard of Looking-Glass Land in search of her own crown.
Summary: Starlight Stage Youth Theatre celebrates its 35th anniversary season with a new stage adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass (And What Alice Found There)” by Gail M. Burns, directed by Brandon S. Burns, and produced by Robert Y. Burns. Performances are scheduled for July 28, 29, 30 and 31 at 8 pm at the First Congregational Church, 906 Main Street (Rt. 2) in Williamstown, MA.
“There was almost immediate interest in dramatizing the ‘Alice’ books,” Gail Burns explained. “And from the outset Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) urged playwrights not to combine the two stories – advice they inevitably ignored. I wanted to create a pure stage adaptation of ‘Through the Looking Glass,’ which is one of my favorite books, to encourage young people like our actors to read and enjoy both stories on their own merit.”
The cast features Williamstown, MA, residents Rebekah Packer as Alice, Maggie Crane as the Red Queen, Cassie Peltier as the White King, Andrew Overstreet as the Red King, and Molly Hynes as Tweedle Dee. North Adams, MA, residents Thalia Rossiter, Leah Miller, and Sarah Kelly play the White Queen, the White Knight, and Tweedle-Dum respectively. Evan Schueckler of Stamford, VT, is Humpty Dumpty.
Humpty Dumpty (Evan Schueckler of Stamford, VT) leans down precariously to shake hands with Alice (Rebekah Packer of Wiliamstown, MA). Photo: Robert Y. Burns
The cast also includes: Jeremy Mossolani, Shyann Hoke, Lauren Diamond, Aaron Burns, Tanner Smith, Laticia Rodriguez, and Jaedin King of Williamstown; Chris Donovan, Skylar Moresi, Carrigan Moresi, and Jazz Klingenbeck of North Adams; Emma Gregory and Jaclyn Aubin of Clarksburg; Samantha Hamilton of New Ashford, and Stella Bernstein of New York City and Williamstown.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under, available at the door. The First Congregational Church is on the BRTA bus route and is handicap accessible. Parking is available behind the Church, off of Chapin Hall Drive. For further information visit our Web site www.StarlightStageYouthTheatre.com, call 413-458-4246 or e-mail ssyt@roadrunner.com
What: “Through the Looking Glass (And What Alice Found There”
Who: Starlight Stage Youth Theatre
Where: First Congregational Church, 906 Main Street (Rt. 2), Williamstown, MA
When: July 28-31 at 8 pm
How Much?: $7 adults, $5 children 12 and under
Contact: 413-458-4246
ABOUT STARLIGHT STAGE
Founded in 1976, Starlight offers a hands-on theatre experience for young people ages 8-18. Starlight has been directed by Robert Y. Burns and the Burns family of Williamstown since its inception. Starlight is the third oldest continuously operating summer theatre in Berkshire County, after the Berkshire Theatre Festival and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Over the past 34 years hundreds of local youngsters have received their introduction to theatre with Starlight. Some have gone on to careers in the performing arts and the technical aspects of theatre and film, but all, whatever path they have chosen in life, have come away with a deep love and respect for the theatre, and happy memories of their Starlight experience.
