Centerstage Theatre Presents LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

Little Red Riding Hood, Centerstage Theatre's latest pantomime, is anything but silent. It's about as noisy an experience as any theatre audience will enjoy anywhere. Centerstage Artistic Director, Alan Bryce, said: "Our audiences can expect yet another evening of outrageous characters, stock routines, terrible jokes and great music."

When Centerstage first produced a traditional English Christmas pantomime back in 2007, there was some concern that American audiences would be bemused by this ancient form of entertainment, which is so popular in the rest of the English-speaking world but virtually unknown in the USA. Those concerns evaporated within 60 seconds of the curtain rising on the first performance 10 years ago. Puget Sound audiences have responded in their thousands to these interactive, mythic, silly, musical, and profoundly entertaining shows.

Dating back to 1709 London, the Pantomime has roots in Commedia dell'arte. The "formula" includes stock comic characters which include the ugly "Dame" always played by a man, spirits representing Good and Evil, and a young man - often played by a woman. Some of the slapstick and verbal comedy routines have been handed down over the generations. And no pantomime would exist without local political references and the hottest music of the day. While pantomime is perhaps best known for the interaction it demands of the kids in the audience, it's not just a kids' show. The kids will love it, of course, but the genius of the "panto" formula is that it appeals to all generations from age 5 to 105.

While Centerstage's production of Little Red Riding Hood observes all these traditions, we respect (to a certain extent) the traditional story of the girl with the red hood who makes her way into the forest and discovers her Grandma's fate at the hands of the Wolf.

Little Red Riding Hood is written and directed by Seattle Theatre veteran Vince Brady. Brady's directing credits include work in British regional theatre and as artistic director of Exchange Theatre here in Seattle. His work also includes appearing as King Lear for Greenstage, where he directed Cymbeline last summer. He directed A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for Seattle Musical Theatre and has directed many shows at Centerstage, including Crucifer of Blood, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.

Featuring Helen Martin as Little Red Riding Hood and Adam Minton as the Big Bad Wolf, the rest of the cast includes Taylor Davis, Dale Bowers, Adam Minton, Olivia Lee, Trista Duvall, Alan Bryce, Zack Summers, Kiela Melott, Britt Hobson, Skylar Dove, Jenna McRill, Jasmyne Mendoza, Kaleigh McKenney, Catriona Bryce, and Lucy Akai

Tickets for all 16 performances are on sale and available by phone at (253) 661-1444, online at www.centerstagetheatre.com, and, one hour before show time, in person at the Knutzen Family Theater box office. Single tickets are $35 for adults; $30 for seniors, military and $15 for ages 18 - 25, and $12 for 17 & under. All shows are performed at the Knutzen Family Theatre in Federal Way. Performances are Fridays at 7:00pm, Saturdays at 2:00pm and 7:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm, with a final performance on Thursday December 22nd at 7:00pm.

Centerstage is Federal Way's resident Theatre Company. It was founded in 1977 and for the past fourteen years has produced shows at the Knutzen Family Theatre on the shores of Puget Sound. Centerstage Theatre is committed to producing "innovative, accomplished productions of popular work and for new work with the widest possible audience appeal."

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