Cedars, February 2018

February 2018 10 ART & ENTERTAINMENT by Nathan Robertson A s an audience, it can be easy to forget all the work it takes to put on a theater performance. Before any of the actors or set pieces ever get in front of a crowd, the entire production must go through an extensive process. All of the shows Cedarville performs are determined the previous academic year. “When looking at our season selection for this current year, we had specific genres that we were looking at, and chil- dren’s theatre or fantasy was one of those,” said Assistant Pro- fessor of Theatre, Rebekah Priebe. “‘The Lion, the Witch and theWardrobe’ was a suggestion and everyone was very excited about that and got on board pretty quickly with that idea.” “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis has been a staple in literature collections for decades. It’s a sto- ry that not only creates an entirely new world, but presents a story of redemption and saving grace that not even the young- est of children could miss. The book is fueled by its visuals, from the pure white of never-ending winter, to the green of the grass that is slowly revealed as Aslan makes his return. These visuals were at the forefront of Cedarville’s production of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” The faculty decided on a children’s theater version of the show that was dramatized by Joseph Robinette. The script is relatively short with a runtime well under two hours. However the spectacle and set expectations are far from simple. The set design for this show involved a built- in turntable, as well as multiple moving set pieces such as massive stone pillars and the famous stone table. Perhaps the most impressive piece created by the shop crew was the Aslan puppet, which is operated by three actors. While the Aslan puppet is an impressive feat, its quality is matched by the creative work of Priebe, who also serves as the head of the costume department, and the rest of the costume shop. Each character in the show had their own unique look that made it feel as though C.S. Lewis’ classic book had come to life. “It can be challenging to work with a piece of literature that is so familiar to so many people, but still make it fresh and new,” Priebe said. “And then of course working with characters that you wouldn’t necessarily come across in this world, such as fauns and unicorns and talking animals.” Bringing Stories to Life A behind-the-scenes look at the process of creating Cedarville’s impressive stage productions Photo by Jessica St. Onge Peter (Zachary Krauss) fights Fenris Ulf (Jean-Luc Schieferstein). The cast trained hard to polish their stage combat.