‘Aesop & His Fabled Friends’ to be performed at SCCC
NEWTON. The 45-minute show, geared for families and young audiences, is part of the first Festival of the Arts at Sussex County Community College.
Newton /
| 23 Apr 2023 | 06:57
Blair Lanza of Vernon plays the turtle in ‘Aesop & His Fabled Friends.’ (Photos provided)
From left, Dana Nigro of Stillwater, Isabella Cruz of Vernon and Anthony Guerra of Milford, Pa., build the set for ‘Aesop & His Fabled Friends.’
Professor Allison Ognibene and students in the Theater Workshop class at Sussex County Community College discuss the script for the show ‘Aesop & His Fabled Friends.’
“Aesop & His Fabled Friends” will be presented May 4, 6 and 11 at Sussex County Community College (SCCC).
The 45-minute show is geared for families and young audiences. After the performance, the audience will have an opportunity to meet the cast and to color illustrations of the forest animals.
Shows are scheduled at noon Thursday, May 4; 11 a.m. Saturday, May 6; and noon Thursday, May 11 in SCCC’s Performing Arts Center, One College Hill Road, Newton.
All tickets are $5 and may be purchased at the door or online at https://sussex.simpletix.com
“Aesop & His Fabled Friends,” presented by the Alpha Arts Players, is part of the first Festival of the Arts at SCCC. The week-long festival includes professional and student art exhibitions, performances, lectures, poetry and the Alpha Arts Film Festival.
The show is directed by Professor Allison Ognibene, a Sparta resident who teaches the Theater Workshop class.
“Since this is a workshop class, after each performance we will be discussing what worked, if there needs to be any rewrites and how did the audience respond. We will be taking feedback and making adjustments,” she said.
The cast and production team includes Vernon residents Catarina Cruz as heron/north wind, sound designer and stage manager; Isabella Cruz as lion/little crab, set designer and assistant director; and Blair Lanza as the tortoise/plane tree and costume designer.
Kenny DeGraw of Andover plays the wolf/hare and helped with set construction and props. Monica Salazar of Sussex plays town cat/brother crab, was sound designer, and helped with set construction and props. Dana Nigro of Stillwater is rat/dove, set designer and props master.
Aurelia Shanga of Mount Olive plays town mouse/bear/mother crab and is a costume designer. Anthony Guerra of Milford, Pa., plays Aesop/sun and is a set and lighting designer. Kaela DeJoseph of Dingmans Ferry, Pa., plays country mouse and is a costume designer.
Collaboration was instrumental in the workshop process.
The class met with Leonard Sheehy, supervisor of robotics and makerspace at SCCC, to create 3D props. Professor Jimmy Jeffrey’s Illustration Class created the poster and animal illustrations. Professor Tim O’Connor met with the students to discuss projections, which will be used in the show.