A story within a story. A hunter’s quest. A werewolf. A flying dragon. A gigantic shapeshifting spider.
It takes a talented cast and crew to tell The Neverending Story and pull off one of the most ambitious productions ever staged by Northeast State Theatre (NST). Based on the novel by Michael Ende and adapted for the stage by David S. Craig, The Neverending Story opens April 12 with the performances, design effects, and creative sets that audiences have come to expect from the College’s award-winning Theatre Department.
Giant monsters and eternal quests meet in The Neverending Story. (Photo courtesy of Madison G. Phillips)
Allen Lopez portrays Atreyu, a young hunter hand-picked by a royal called The Childlike Empress to fulfill a quest and stop an evil force called The Nothing from destroying the kingdom of Fantastica. Lopez previously played Charlie Baker in The Foreigner produced by NST last fall.
“A big theme of this play is how we put expectations on ourselves and expectations the world puts on us,” said Lopez. “Atreyu represents someone who instead of trying to solve a problem based on what is expected of him, finds a way to solve the problem on his own.”
Atryeu’s problems are great, indeed. He must find The Childlike Empress a new name, survive the treacherous shapeshifter Ygramul the Many, and battle The Nothing’s attack dog Gmork. The quest represents the plight of a young person facing a transition to the often unforgiving adult world.
“I think the world is having a lot of problems right now,” said Lopez. “But there is a lot of good in the world, and you can’t get discouraged.”
The play opens with young Bastian Bux finding the book that tells of Atreyu’s story. Bux is portrayed by Jonathon Wampler whose role extends beyond playing a character. As the story unfolds, Bastian’s reactions express what audiences may be feeling and thinking. Bux also discovers Atreyu’s quest mirrors his own adolescent struggles.
“I don’t have a lot of people to play off of in this production so as Bux I’m talking to people in my head,” said Wampler, a Theatre major. “The play lets you in on these bad experiences but doesn’t let you give up hope.”
Work begins on The Neverending Story production. (Photo courtesy of Madison G. Phillips)
Lopez and Wampler teamed for the hilarious scene of confused table manners in NST’s popular fall production of The Foreigner. They along with fellow Foreigner cast member Shelby Minogue performed the scene at this year’s Region IV Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) awards gala – the first two-year college theatre department ever invited to do so.
Northeast State Theatre veteran Shelby Ashley pulls triple duty in her final production as a student. She is creating the play’s lighting design while playing the characters of The Childlike Empress, The Nothing, and a buffalo. Ashley won the Don Childs Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award and the Vector Works Lighting Award at the KCACTF regional competition in February.
“I knew I was going to be the lighting designer on this play, and since this is my last semester I wanted to go out with a bang,” said Ashley, a Theatre major graduating this spring. “Once Atreyu begins his quest, he has to treat everyone he meets with respect. In life, we meet lots of people different from us, and we should treat them with that same respect.”
Jacob Lewis portrays Artax, Atreyu’s faithful horse accompanying him on his quest. He played the nefarious David Lee in The Foreigner and recently performed in the outdoor drama Liberty: The Saga of Sycamore Shoals. A second-year student at Northeast State and Theatre major, Lewis welcomed a challenge of playing not only a non-human character but a likable one.
“I’ve been an antagonist in past productions so this is a nice change to be a protagonist,” said Lewis. “Artax and Atreyu have been pals forever and have a strong connection.”
His Artax represents several fantastic and imposing creatures created for the stage including Ygramul, Falkor the Luckdragon, Morla the turtle, and Gmork the werewolf. Northeast State alumnus Richard Curtis returns to NST to lend his edgy design to these monstrous creations.
The scope of The Neverending Story production stretches the limits of epic adventure and childhood imagination. It also stretches the hours of a stage manager’s day. Wrangling this menagerie of cast, crew, and critters falls to stage manager Alex White who brings the show together. White also stage-managed Foreigner for which she received a KCACTF award nomination.
“We’ve got about 27 people, cast and crew, involved in this production so the challenge is trying to communicate information to everyone,” said White. “Email has been my best friend.”
This will be the final production Ashley and White as Northeast State students. They graduate leaving a high standard for new theatre students ready to carry on the NST tradition.
“It is crucial that you water your roots before you start growing,” said Ashley of her time in the program.
This play is being presented by special arrangement with The Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Ill. Performances are scheduled April 12th, 13th, 14th at 7:30 p.m. Two matinée performances are scheduled April 12th and 13th at 10:00 a.m. and one matinée on April 15th at 2:00 p.m. All shows will be held at Regional Center for the Performing Arts Theatre on the College’s Blountville campus.
The play serves as an allegory for children and their parents nostalgic for a tale they remember. The residents of Fantastica face many of the same difficulties and threats of today’s modern world. The story’s parallels are not lost on the performers.
“The story builds on a lot of the anxieties that kids have today,” said Lewis. “People will remember their own childhoods and that’s what, for me, makes this play appealing for young people and adults, too.”
A story within a story. A hunter’s quest. A werewolf. A flying dragon. A gigantic shapeshifting spider.
It takes a talented cast and crew to tell The Neverending Story and pull off one of the most ambitious productions ever staged by Northeast State Theatre (NST). Based on the novel by Michael Ende and adapted for the stage by David S. Craig, The Neverending Story opens April 12 with the performances, design effects, and creative sets that audiences have come to expect from the College’s award-winning Theatre Department.
Allen Lopez portrays Atreyu, a young hunter hand-picked by a royal called The Childlike Empress to fulfill a quest and stop an evil force called The Nothing from destroying the kingdom of Fantastica. Lopez previously played Charlie Baker in The Foreigner produced by NST last fall.
“A big theme of this play is how we put expectations on ourselves and expectations the world puts on us,” said Lopez. “Atreyu represents someone who instead of trying to solve a problem based on what is expected of him, finds a way to solve the problem on his own.”
Atryeu’s problems are great, indeed. He must find The Childlike Empress a new name, survive the treacherous shapeshifter Ygramul the Many, and battle The Nothing’s attack dog Gmork. The quest represents the plight of a young person facing a transition to the often unforgiving adult world.
“I think the world is having a lot of problems right now,” said Lopez. “But there is a lot of good in the world, and you can’t get discouraged.”
The play opens with young Bastian Bux finding the book that tells of Atreyu’s story. Bux is portrayed by Jonathon Wampler whose role extends beyond playing a character. As the story unfolds, Bastian’s reactions express what audiences may be feeling and thinking. Bux also discovers Atreyu’s quest mirrors his own adolescent struggles.
“I don’t have a lot of people to play off of in this production so as Bux I’m talking to people in my head,” said Wampler, a Theatre major. “The play lets you in on these bad experiences but doesn’t let you give up hope.”
Lopez and Wampler teamed for the hilarious scene of confused table manners in NST’s popular fall production of The Foreigner. They along with fellow Foreigner cast member Shelby Minogue performed the scene at this year’s Region IV Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) awards gala – the first two-year college theatre department ever invited to do so.
Northeast State Theatre veteran Shelby Ashley pulls triple duty in her final production as a student. She is creating the play’s lighting design while playing the characters of The Childlike Empress, The Nothing, and a buffalo. Ashley won the Don Childs Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award and the Vector Works Lighting Award at the KCACTF regional competition in February.
“I knew I was going to be the lighting designer on this play, and since this is my last semester I wanted to go out with a bang,” said Ashley, a Theatre major graduating this spring. “Once Atreyu begins his quest, he has to treat everyone he meets with respect. In life, we meet lots of people different from us, and we should treat them with that same respect.”
Jacob Lewis portrays Artax, Atreyu’s faithful horse accompanying him on his quest. He played the nefarious David Lee in The Foreigner and recently performed in the outdoor drama Liberty: The Saga of Sycamore Shoals. A second-year student at Northeast State and Theatre major, Lewis welcomed a challenge of playing not only a non-human character but a likable one.
“I’ve been an antagonist in past productions so this is a nice change to be a protagonist,” said Lewis. “Artax and Atreyu have been pals forever and have a strong connection.”
His Artax represents several fantastic and imposing creatures created for the stage including Ygramul, Falkor the Luckdragon, Morla the turtle, and Gmork the werewolf. Northeast State alumnus Richard Curtis returns to NST to lend his edgy design to these monstrous creations.
The scope of The Neverending Story production stretches the limits of epic adventure and childhood imagination. It also stretches the hours of a stage manager’s day. Wrangling this menagerie of cast, crew, and critters falls to stage manager Alex White who brings the show together. White also stage-managed Foreigner for which she received a KCACTF award nomination.
“We’ve got about 27 people, cast and crew, involved in this production so the challenge is trying to communicate information to everyone,” said White. “Email has been my best friend.”
This will be the final production Ashley and White as Northeast State students. They graduate leaving a high standard for new theatre students ready to carry on the NST tradition.
“It is crucial that you water your roots before you start growing,” said Ashley of her time in the program.
This play is being presented by special arrangement with The Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Ill. Performances are scheduled April 12th, 13th, 14th at 7:30 p.m. Two matinée performances are scheduled April 12th and 13th at 10:00 a.m. and one matinée on April 15th at 2:00 p.m. All shows will be held at Regional Center for the Performing Arts Theatre on the College’s Blountville campus.
Northeast State students with current student ID get one FREE ticket for one performance. Tickets are $10 in advance and at the door. For tickets visit http://www.northeaststate.edu/tickets, call 423.354.5169 or email ewmorritt@northeaststate.edu.
The play serves as an allegory for children and their parents nostalgic for a tale they remember. The residents of Fantastica face many of the same difficulties and threats of today’s modern world. The story’s parallels are not lost on the performers.
“The story builds on a lot of the anxieties that kids have today,” said Lewis. “People will remember their own childhoods and that’s what, for me, makes this play appealing for young people and adults, too.”
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