Sweet Pea may be a pig who has great ideas, but she also gets frustrated with her two sisters, who often put their personal interests before any desire to help her.
These and other character traits that young viewers might understand come through in StoryBook Theater and Studio East’s version of the classic “Three Little Pigs” story, called simply “3 Pigs,” which is playing this weekend at Everett’s PUD Auditorium.
As in the classic fairy tale, a porcine trio — in this case, sisters — find that they must put their personal differences aside in order to work together for something really important — and, as it does in the original story, that “something important” revolves around saving their lives and their home from a hungry wolf.
“This musical invites the audience to help build the three pigs’ house through catchy songs and interactive stage antics,” Studio East marketing director Shannon Harney said. “The audience must sing to help the pigs build their house, and some audience members may be invited up on the stage to help the pigs out.”
Furthermore, Harney said, when the wolf enlists the aid of the audience to blow the house down, viewers will actually be helping the pigs trap the wolf.
“3 Pigs” is one of many family experiences created through a joint venture of StoryBook Theater and Studio East, a nonprofit group that aims to introduce young people to the performing arts by offering classes, camps and productions.
“The concept behind StoryBook was to introduce youngsters to the wonders of theater by way of the professional acting troupe — StoryBook Theater — and each story teaches children a valuable life lesson in a fun way that kids can understand and relate to,” Harney said. “Once kids realize how fun theater can be, they can learn to become actors themselves with the innovative training found at Studio East.”
This weekend’s cast comprises professional adult actors.
Local theater fans may recall previous showings of “3 Pigs”; the production came to Everett in 2000 and 2003. Everett and the Kirkland Performance Center both usually sell out their StoryBook Theater shows, Harney said.
All of the theater’s musical adapted fairy tale productions are created especially for kids ages 3 to 10 and their families.
With “3 Pigs” specifically, Harney said, the characters’ antics, such as the point where some of them run through the audience as they battle the wolf with straws, as well as musical director Susan Bardsley’s songs, will keep children spellbound and the whole audience laughing. The show has a child-friendly run time of 55 minutes and features live musical accompaniment.
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