The popular story of a princess and a frog came to life on the stage of Lovett Auditorium.
The Murray State theater department presented “The Frog Prince” for not only the students and faculty, but also the community. Special invitations to the event were sent to area schools for classes from kindergarten to eighth grade.
The cast and crew were composed of nearly 40 members working hard to produce the play.
The theater department works to provide the local community with affordable theater for audience members young and old. The goal of the department is for the community to experience theater and learn valuable lessons through each performance.
“The Frog Prince” is based off the classic children’s tale, The King’s Daughter and the Enchanted Prince by the Brothers Grimm. It encompassed child-like situations, for the kids who watched to learn from.
The performance told the story of Luana, a beautiful princess, played by Emily Birnstein, who finds herself in quite a predicament. Prince Erik, played by Judd Cavitt, was previously turned into a frog by the Hag, played by Mariah Morton and can only return to life as a prince if Luana allows him to be her companion.
As the frog, Prince Erik decides to resolve her problem if the princess will do anything he asks. The princess then agrees, but she quickly goes back on her word. When her father confronts her, the princess is forced to follow through with her promise.
Like most folk tales, especially those by the Brothers Grimm, the impact comes from the moral of the story.
As the characters struggled on stage to overcome their issues, the audience was taught a plethora of life lessons accompanied by enjoyable children’s humor. Even the Murray State students laughed heartily at the characters’ lines and voice inflections.
The performances were held Monday and Tuesday. Today, the theater department will be performing the play at 9:30 a.m., with a second and final showing at noon.
All tickets cost $3 and are available in Lovett Auditorium.
Story by Hunter Harrell, Assistant Features Editor