The Philip Lynch Theatre presents, “The Little Prince,” an adaptation from Rick Cummins and John Scoullar, based on a book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The performance debuted on Oct. 13-15 and will still hold both evening and matinee showtimes on Oct. 19-22.
A heartwarming classic, the production staff and cast look to bring feelings of wonder through the set designs, intrigue through the different characters’ journey and a sense of child-like imagination through the narrative of the story.
The story follows the aviator, played by junior philosophy of law major Michael Goelz, in his journey of crashing his plane within the arid desert of the Sahara. As the story progresses, it is clear that this story is not any normal story, as it not only challenges the reality of the narrator, but his purpose and closed-mindedness as an adult.
The Little Prince, played by sophomore theatre and psychology double major Keegan Srebro, takes the aviator through his own journey through the stars and shifts his perspective on the importance of listening to the heart. The Little Prince additionally shows risking the sorrow that may come with building relationships with others. When on stage, the production crew designed a harness with a puppet strapped to Srebro’s feet and small sticks for him to operate the arms, giving his character a physical childlike appearance.
When asked about the importance of this play in particular, Srebro answered, “People have tried to categorize it as a drama, tragedy or comedy. I see it more as a story with a moral that leaves you with something at the end.
He goes on to mention the story helps people in an educational circle and “there is nothing like that childlike wonder that leads you to the important things in life.”
Kevin Trudeau, who is the director of theatre, theatre department chair, professor of theatre history and the director of the performance, has his own perspective on the production from his note stating, “While I certainly appreciated and loved it as a child, I believe that Saint-Exupéry is really directing his aforementioned plea towards adults, not children… The allegorical aspects and arguments of the book – which went as far over my youthful head as the Little Prince’s planet – are aimed squarely at the adults who surrounded Saint-Exupéry.”
The director, cast, set and lighting designers, managers and production staff all were able to capture the beauty of what is invisible to the eye through their final production and visuals.
Andrew Nelsen, the technical director and professor of design and technical theatre had used what is a, “scrim,” a large piece of fabric that was used as the backdrop for the entirety of the play and appears nontransparent until lit from behind. Using it to project what the aviator was drawing and bringing the viewers with the Little Prince as he had traveled from planet to planet.
Tickets are available online through tix.com, by calling the PLT Box Office at 815-836-5500 from 1 pm.-4:30 pm Monday through Friday and in person through the same hours and times. Subscriptions are available and are offered the best seats and prices for five total main stage productions. Students receive a discount on seats having to only pay $3 with an additional $1 charge for a ticket.
The Philip Lynch Theatre, located at the Oremus Fine Arts Center, is looking forward to their other exciting upcoming productions including, “Four Plays for Coarse Actors,” on Oct. 19-22 and, “Exit Strategy,” on Feb. 17-19 and Feb. 22-25.
Photo Credits: Katherine Groppe
