NCTC Presents BRER RABBIT STORIES 4/16-25

Honesty is the best Policy?  Cheaters never win?  Not if you are the trickster Brer Rabbit!  That rascally rabbit outwits all the other forest creatures on a daily basis and sure enough, they are hopping mad about it!
 
“Trickster tales” are common in every culture: the Coyote in the American Indian tales, Anansi from Ashante mythology, Loki in Norse mythology and Compere Lapin in the Creole tales.  It is fascinating how many of the stories are remarkably similar despite having come from very diverse origins.  Most of the Brer Rabbit stories came to America from West Africa.  On the Georgia coast, there are Gullah versions.
 
The children of Newnan Community Theatre Company have written their own version of  the classic tales of Brer Rabbit.  These stories were best known as “The Uncle Remus Tales” written by Joel Chandler Harris for the Atlanta Constitution in 1880.   In fact, while Mr. Harris wrote down the stories, he did not actually invent them.  The stories were told to him as a teenager, in the slave quarters on the Turnwold Plantation, near Eatonton. He was a printer’s apprentice there during the Civil War era (1862 to 1866).    

The cast of “Brer Rabbit Stories” started their play-writing adventure with a visit to The Wren’s Nest in Atlanta, the home of Joel Chandler Harris.  The first house museum of its kind, the tour of The Wren’s Nest gave us a glimpse of the past, and a sense of the history of these wonderful stories.  The children enjoyed listening to an energetic and charming story-teller, and finished their day with a picnic on the grounds.  

The cast consists of 33 delightful children ages 5-12.  Divided into five different groups, each group chose their favorites stories and re-wrote them into a performance format.  This gave the kids the experience of reading a story, writing a play, and performing it.  Three of the group directors are teens that have been active at NCTC for years.   Jake Azarowicz, Kristen Owens and Sam Wall have all directed shows with children during the theatre’s summer KidsCamp.  These three outstanding teenagers are wonderful at passing on their knowledge and passion for theater to the little ones in their care.  "Brer Rabbit Stories" is being facilitated by Laurel Alford and Jennifer Dorrell, both veteran directors of children’s theatre.
 
Some of the stories being presented include The Great Race, The Wonderful Tar Baby, Brer Rabbit Eats the Butter, Dead Foxes Tell No Tales, Sis Cow, A Mighty Big Noise in the Woods, and many others.
 
This Grassroots Arts Program is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts  through an appropriation of the Georgia General Assembly and administered by Arts Clayton.  GCA is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
 
Shows will be performed two weekends, April 16, 17, 18 and April 23, 24, and 25.  On Fridays and Saturdays, shows are at 8 PM.  On Sundays, the show is a matinee at 2:30 PM.  The show will be in NCTC’s Black Box at 24 First Avenue in downtown Newnan.  Tickets are $5 for 12 and under, and $10 for 13 and up.  Visit www.NewnanTheatre.org or call 770-683-6282 (NCTC) for more information.   Reservations are strongly suggested as all performances are expected to sell out.

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