South Bend Civic Theatre Presents The Adventures of Nate the Great, Closes 8/28

South Bend Civic Theatre Presents The Adventures of Nate the Great August 19-28 in the Firehouse Theatre.

Get a clue with the famed pint-sized private eye in South Bend Civic Theatre's next Kids4Kids production The Adventures of Nate the Great!

Adapted by Pamela Sterling from the books by Marjorie Sharmat, Nate the Great, along with his friends and faithful dog, Sludge, make the greatest kids' detective team ever, solving important cases and always remembering to leave a note for Mom! This spoof on "B" movies has a delightful child's perspective on life's little mysteries, produced by- and for- kids.

Director Josh Napierkowski, one of SBCT's excellent teachers in our Education program, leads a bunch of terrific young actors in this whimsical adventure. Richard Allen III is the title detective Nate, Erin Joines his loyal assistant Kate, Kimberly Grobien is Annie, Soren Campbell is Oliver, Siôn Shepley is Finley, Miranda Manier is Rosamond, Jacob Harsch is Harry, Natalie Rarick is Claudia, Abi Trzaskowski is Esmeralda, Matthew Pruitt is Pip, with Alena Grobien, Olivia Marentette and Abbey Kagel in the ensemble, Broderick Balsley is Annie's dog Fang, and Nathan Glaser is Nate's right hand dog Sludge.

Napierkowski gives his take on this stage adaptation of the beloved series began in 1972 and spanning over twenty books: "The books were a stepping stone for the play. Several of the books appear in the show, but act as an undertone to creating the world of Nate on stage. The design for the show stays very true to the book. As the audience in taken on a journey into the mind of a child, we have to understand that the world can become anything, and that a black room can become ANYTHING. I insisted with the design of this show that the back drop be a child's rendition of the city. As in all Film Noir or great detective films, the city becomes as much a character as those who play in it. But in Nate's world it is more of a stick figure version with thousands of mysteries to be solved. Staying true to the old great detective classics, we begin the story completely surrounded by Nate's world which is black and white. Each character and lost object is represented by different colors, so as the play moves on and we reach the end of the show the stage has opened up into the real brightly colored world as represented through these children's minds."

Napierkowski also comments on why the Firehouse is an ideal setting for The Adventures of Nate the Great: "The Firehouse is a very intimate space. This tiny black box is perfect because we are able to illustrate how kids can make nothing into the most exciting space! The Firehouse has such a character of its own, and it's smoky, rustic, metallic, black interior, helps heighten the grungy effect that Nate sees in his old detective classics."

Performances for The Adventures of Nate the Great are Tuesday-Saturday at 7 PM and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 PM. Tickets are just $10 or a 4-pack is just $32. Seating is general admission and very limited at the Firehouse so please get purchase tickets early. For best seats and parking arrive early, doors will open half-hour before performance. Firehouse Theatre is at 701 Portage Avenue, just a few blocks north of SBCT's main theatres. Street parking is available, though very limited. Please call 574-234-1112 or go online at www.sbct.org to purchase tickets.

Thank you to sponsors Villing & Co., Ameriprise Financial, 1st Source Bank, and Memorial Health System.

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