NEWS

Mooresville Community Childrens’ Theatre (MCCT) has done it again. Last weekend more than three dozen six to sixteen-year-old talented kids performed a unique version of a lovable children’s classic story. “Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs” is one of the best youth productions I’ve ever seen.

The kids are on fire! They love the theatre, and it shows. Many of them were seen on-stage earlier this year. Some, at the Davidson Community Players’ Armour Street Theatre in the Connie Company’s Charlotte’s Web and others at MCCT’s Charles Mack Citizens Center in “The Tempest,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Sponge Bob.”

“Snow White’s” actors didn’t just deliver their lines. It was obvious that the young thespians understood the nature of their characters and delivered their roles in context of the drama’s storyline. Best of all, lines were pronounced with clarity—words could be heard and understood. A huge achievement, even for adult actors. And those kids could act!

When the show’s director, Wrenn Goodrum, found herself inundated with kids at auditions, she decided to create twenty-five additional parts—adorable forest animals cavorting around the cottage in the woods where Snow White had been banished. The youngsters themselves chose the animal they wanted to portray. Birds, frogs, chipmunks, squirrels, deer, bears, a bunny, and racoons chirped, hopped, nibbled, and flapped their wings in peaceful harmony around the lovely new tenant of the forest.

Eleven-year-old Hadley Lee played the lovely Snow White. Natalie Rind was the evil Queen. Kennedy Bishop portrayed Her Majesty’s conversion into the deceitful beauty Esmeralda, and Jewel Caceres portrayed the Queen’s ungainly Crone, brandishing a poisoned apple.

The four actors, with the same painted faces, who responded to the vain Queen’s request for a truthful Mirror to name the most beautiful one of all, were Grayson Flowers, Kaia Goodpasture, Madison Pinto, and Adeline Degolier.

Hudson Blum portrayed the heroic, empathetic Huntsman. Kohen Hamlin played the handsome Prince. Brooke Mottesheard was the Enchanted Fox. Aryana Berisha licked her paws and meowed around the palace on all fours as the black Cat, and Zachary Massey was the court’s Jester.

“Dig, dig, dig, dig,” chanted seven happy dwarfs who’d been kissed by Snow White as they marched off to work at the mines. In Tim Kelly’s adaptation of “Snow White,” the playful miners are called: Sarge, played by Gus Miller; Gaby portrayed by Lexi Blum; Gloomy Gloria performed by Emerson; Ticklish by Zahara Alsaba; Slowpoke by Paige King; Sprightly by Aiden Honeycutt; and Snore joyfully delivered by six-year-old Anna Wood.

Goodrum’s artful direction made creative use of the versatile, elegant set designed by Annie Agresta, enhanced by Kelly Wright’s lighting design. The costumes designed by Wendi Choiniere were remarkable.

Student interns ran the show, handling the myriad of work undertaken behind the scenes, from make-up, dressers, and timely stagehands, all of which was made possible by “Snow White’s” producer, Gina Duckworth, Mooresville Community Childrens’ Theatre’s dedicated executive director.

“Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs” is a winner!