Creating a 'fairy tale world': Princess and the Pea at the Watermark Theatre
"She had felt one pea all the way through twenty mattresses and twenty more feather beds."
They may not have the mattresses, or even the beds, but for two more shows in August the Cat's Pajamas Theatre Company has the stage, performing the classic fairy tale The Princess and the Pea at the Watermark Theatre in North Rustico, P.E.I.
Becca Griffin, executive director of the show, stopped by CBC P.E.I.'s Mainstreet to discuss the theatre company's latest production.
"I've been trying to get [the company] on its feet for the past three years now and at least once a summer we do a production — for the past two summers we've been doing productions at the Watermark Theatre," Griffin said.
Even though the Watermark Theatre has a packed schedule, she said, they have fit the company into the mornings, since "children's theatre is perfect for the morning."
All fun and games
Though the company doesn't have 20 mattresses and a pea, they certainly make do, Griffin said.
They've used shirts and coats as mattresses and have had to adapt the play to the new sets they'll often find themselves in.
"One day we were working in the middle of a kitchen, that actually makes it even better. Kids can see you making a whole other fairy tale world in somebody's kitchen."
The show isn't necessarily a serious passion project, Griffin said, or a dramatic tale. For the company, it's more about having fun and making children laugh.
"We are a team of friends who love to work together and I think that's the most important thing when you're working children's theatre is to just to let it all go and have some fun — and we are having lots of it."
Creating a 'magical world' for kids
Griffin said her dream is to pack up her old Volkswagon and take it around the Island again like she did when she was a student at Holland College.
"That's where I started my dream and that's where I want to keep continuing on," she said.
"There's nothing like seeing that bright, shiny smile on a kids face in a school gymnasium when you've completely created a magical world around them."
Two of their four shows have come and gone, and two more are scheduled for Aug. 17 at 10:30 a.m. and Saturday, Aug. 19 at 10:30 a.m.
Tickets are available at the door or online.
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