Petersburg’s community theater troupe, the Mitkof Mummers, will be presenting two short comedies this weekend: “The Worst Fairytale Ever,” and “A Mixed Up Fairytale.”
The Worst Fairytale Ever begins with a narrator excitedly preparing the crowd for a showing of a play titled “The Best Fairytale Ever.” However, things don’t go exactly as planned.
“Unfortunately, his entire crew has not practiced any of their lines,” Director Gus Pennington explained. “While they have some amazing costumes, they’re stuck in the mail.”
The show must go on, and the narrator, along with his cast, has to roll with the punches.
This is Pennington’s first time in the director’s seat, and he said he’s shifted his perspective as he moved from being an actor to a director.
“For the longest time, I’ve been a stage actor, and I love being on stage,” Pennington said. “But it is really interesting to now be on the other side of the seats, I suppose, and I have to figure out, okay, where do I want to block this? How do I want this delivered?”
Rowan Olsen plays the narrator, and he said he’s enjoyed figuring out how to act in a play that revolves around actors making mistakes.
“Just figuring out the on-stage dynamic of how people bounce off each other,” Olsen said. “One person messes up their line, and then everyone else has to figure out how exactly to get this back under control.”
After “The Worst Fairy Tale Ever” concludes, “A Mixed Up Fairytale” takes the stage.
In the play, the Brothers Grimm get caught in a storm and their fairy tales get mixed up. One of the brothers falls asleep, and all of the fairy tale characters come to life in his dreams, with the goal of making it to Cinderella’s ball.
For narrator Nicholas Larson, the comedy is an opportunity to play someone different from himself.
“I get to play an old man, which is always fun . . . playing someone outside your age range,” Larson said. “It’s always very enjoyable to take on that challenge.”
This is also Director Abbey Hardie’s first time leading a production. She said that while putting together the play has been a lot of work, it’s also been really fun.
“It’s a lot of project managing and herding cats a little bit, but these cats are having a lot of fun,” Hardie said. “There’s so many giggling moments, and just moments of joy in rehearsals. So I think that’s the best part.”
Tatum Hagerman, who plays multiple roles between both plays, agreed with Hardie. She said the Mummers are a great team, and she’s enjoyed practicing with them.
“I just love all of the people, all of our Mummers are hilarious,” Hagerman said. “It’s just the best group of people, honestly, to hang out with four days a week.”
The casts of both plays encourage the community to turn out to the weekend’s shows. Hardie said people won’t want to miss it.
“Never have I ever heard someone walk out of a Mummers play being like, ‘Well, I wish I didn’t do that,’” Hardie said. “Most people really feel [like they] missed out when they don’t see it.”
The Mummers say that each play will be a funny, family-friendly show for adults and kids alike.
The “Worst Fairytale Ever” and “A Mixed Up Fairytale” will be performed this Friday, Nov. 21, and Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Wright Auditorium. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the plays start at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 cash at the door. The Mummers will also be accepting cash donations for the Salvation Army and Humanity in Progress.
