The Borrowers Opens at Childrens Theatre 1/20

Sometimes the littlest people have the biggest adventures. That's the premise in Children's Theatre of Charlotte's latest production, "The Borrowers."

Adapted from Mary Norton's beloved fantasy book series about pint-sized creatures that live beneath the floor boards, "The Borrowers" runs Jan. 20-Feb. 5 at Children's Theatre at ImaginOn.

The Clock family is normal in most respects – daughter Arietty is a typical tween, yearning to experience the grown-up world for herself. The main difference, though, is the Clocks are tiny Borrowers who live in a cozy home under the floor, decorated with dollhouse furniture. They survive by "borrowing" what they need from the humans who live above them. But when the Clocks' hiding place is discovered, they must venture into the giant universe outside, and Arietty gets a bigger adventure than she bargained for.

The story runs the gamut of emotions – comedy, adventure, scares and thrills – and combines live actors with over-sized props and puppets to create the sense of scale. Director Mark Sutton ("And Then They Came for Me," "BFG") said integrating the various elements has been the most unique challenge.

"The Clock family is in one scene portrayed by live actors, and in the next, we see them as puppets," he said. "We must see what's going on up in the big people's world without losing awareness of how it affects life below the floor boards. Even though the Borrowers of the books were only a few inches tall, our puppets must be at least a foot tall to be seen by the audience."

The puppets are designed by Cheralyn Lambeth, who previously worked with Children's Theatre on "Lyle the Crocodile" and "How I Became a Pirate." Lambeth is a former puppet builder for "The Muppets."

"It's been exciting working with the creative designers of the set and the props, the sound design and the puppets themselves to find fun solutions to the many challenges of bringing the script to life," Sutton said. "In the second act, we employ several different forms of puppetry as the family encounters a giant crow, a cricket, a moth and a wasp."

The cast is comprised of familiar faces to Children's Theatre audiences. Chaz Pofahl and Nicia Carla – who were both in "Seussical" and "And Then They Came for Me" – play the Borrower parents, Pod and Homily Clock.

"It's been quite an adventure imagining being small enough to use furniture from a doll's house or sleep inside a boot," Pofahl said. "I remember reading the first book in elementary school and being obsessed with the idea that there could be an entire world beneath our own. I loved the idea that if I misplaced my sock, it was actually a little person that was borrowing it."

Arietty Clock is played by Casi Harris, who was last seen on Children's Theatre stage as the tattletale May in "Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" – a big leap from playing the pint-sized adventurer in "The Borrowers."

"Arietty reminds me of myself in different ways," Harris said. "She is a very curious being and has an extreme appreciation and genuine interest in the things and people she encounters. But just when you think that's all she encompasses, she shows you a stronger side, more mature than what you would assume a 14-year-old could possess."

"The Borrowers" is suitable for ages 7 and above. Tickets are $18-$24. For more information or to order tickets, visit www.ctcharlotte.org or call 704-973-2828.

Children's Theatre of Charlotte is a national leader among theatres for young audiences, serving more than 300,000 young people and families annually with professional productions and innovative education initiatives.

Children's Theatre of Charlotte is supported, in part, with an Operating Grant from the Arts & Science Council, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc. and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

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