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Cinder-FELLA, Romeo and Juliet on tap at SUNY Potsdam Nov. 5 & 6

Posted 11/5/10

POTSDAM – The SUNY Potsdam Youth Theatre Touring Ensemble will present three free performances of "Cinder-FELLA" and "Romeo and Juliet" open to the general public on the College campus this …

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Cinder-FELLA, Romeo and Juliet on tap at SUNY Potsdam Nov. 5 & 6

Posted

POTSDAM – The SUNY Potsdam Youth Theatre Touring Ensemble will present three free performances of "Cinder-FELLA" and "Romeo and Juliet" open to the general public on the College campus this semester.

"Romeo and Juliet" will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5 and at noon on Saturday, Nov. 6 in Dunn Dance Theatre.

"Cinder-FELLA" will be performed at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6 in the same location.

"Cinder-FELLA" is a contemporary re-telling of the classic fairy tale, with the character of Cinderella re-imagined as a boy. Students will examine how the story changes when traditional gender roles are reversed, pondering whether Cinderfella can find true happiness with the Princess and what kind of obstacles the wicked stepfather will put in his way. Appropriate for students in grades Pre-K to 4, "Cinder-FELLA" promises to include a lot of laughter as the characters work it all out.

"Romeo and Juliet" is William Shakespeare's tale of tragic love, with some contemporary twists. Edited down to one hour, the story is full of action. Like "Cinder-FELLA," there will be a switch of traditional gender roles, with Juliet played by a male actor and Romeo played by a female. Traditional expectations of men and women are turned on their head as we see female Romeo court male Juliet and sword-fight with other actresses. This production is appropriate for middle and high school students and is considered "PG-13" because of the strong language, sexual humor and violence included in Shakespeare's classic play.

These performances are free, and the public is invited to attend.

The SUNY Potsdam Youth Theatre Touring Ensemble annually performs for thousands of area students. Providing schools with a no-cost alternative to other touring shows, the mission of this company is to bring thought-provoking, quality theatre to young people of all ages.

Each year, the group rehearses a scripted play for middle- and high-schoolers and creates their own play for elementary audiences.

The two shows are linked with a common theme; this year's considers our expectations of men and women through the lens of very common love stories.

Each performance includes a "talk back" session at the end of the show, where the audience can ask actors about the themes or the process of creating theatre.

Community Performance Series supports the Youth Theatre Touring Ensemble by providing scheduling and administrative services.