WEEK TWO: Ensemble and Panto Characters

Catch up with our talented ladies, knights and panto characters! LADIES: Annie Dale (Lady Rowena), Danielle Dunn (Lady Lucille), Mya Leworthy (Lady Beatrice/Dance Captain), Jay LeBlanc (Emily), Kyrah Smith (Lady Merrill), Jaida Smith (Lady Mabel) KNIGHTS: Drake Tucker (Sir Luce), Cameron Martin (Sir Studley), Joseph Dominic Thompson (Sir Alan) PANTO CHARACTERS: Grace VanWyngaarden (Queen), Ryan Simac (Prince), Molly Pickles (Princess) * Some answers have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Q1: WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE FAIRYTALE? ANNIE: "Peter Pan." DANIELLE: "Thumbelina." MYA: "Cinderella" KYRAH: "Rumplestiltskin" or "Beauty and the Beast." JAIDA: "Little Red Riding Hood"

JAY: "Cinderella" DRAKE: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" JOSEPH: "Tuck Everlasting" Q2: WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE SONG IN 'ONCE UPON A MATTRESS?' ANNIE: "Normandy" DANIELLE: "Normandy" MYA: "Song of Love" KYRAH: "Happily Ever After" JAIDA: "Normandy" JAY: "Swamps of Home" DRAKE: "Opening for a Princess" JOSEPH: "The Minstrel, the Jester and I" Q3: 'ONCE UPON A MATTRESS' FEATURES A LOT OF CHOREOGRAPHED NUMBERS. WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE LEARNING THE CHOREOGRAPHY? ANNIE: It's been wonderful! I love dancing! It's one of my favourite aspects of musical theatre. DANIELLE: It's a blast! I love dancing and learning choreo. MYA: Because of my dance training, I have loved the amount of dance within the show! KYRAH: It's been fun! LET'S DO MORRRRE!!!! JAIDA: I love doing choreography! Hopefully, I'll be involved with more in the future. JAY: Not too bad for the most part! I haven't done complex choreography before now, so some of the moves have been difficult to learn. But, most of it has been relatively simple to pick up! DRAKE: It's been a lot of fun! I'm not a dancer myself, but Corina (director and choreographer) has been so patient with me! JOSEPH: Dancing is always fun so I've been enjoying learning the choreography. And playing with swords is fun... Q4: IS THIS YOUR FIRST P&P MUSICAL? IF SO, WHAT HAS THE EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE? IF NOT, WHAT DO YOU LOVE BEST ABOUT BEING A PART OF P&P'S MUSICALS? ANNIE: I was a part of P&P's first ever musical, INTO THE WOODS in 2015. My favourite part about P&P musicals is the cast. I love how we all become a tight knit family by the end of every production. DANIELLE: The family-like atmosphere. MYA: This is my second P&P musical (A Nightingale Sang: A New Musical in Concert was my first!) My favourite thing about this company is the sense of community within the casts. KYRAH: Honestly, P&P is my second family. JAIDA: P&P has excelled in creating strong cast camaraderie. JAY: They try to work rehearsals around schedules, which shows they care. This is great for me, because that way, I can juggle a job, schoolwork and theatre with more ease. DRAKE: This is my first P&P musical, but not my first P&P show. I have loved every minute and can't wait for my next P&P musical, A NIGHTINGALE SANG in October! JOSEPH: I like the good stuff (everything!)

Q5: ONCE UPON A MATTRESS IS A HILARIOUS COMEDY! DO YOU PREFER ACTING IN COMEDIES OR DRAMAS? WHY? ANNIE: I prefer acting in comedies! I love looking out into the audience and seeing that people are having a good time. DANIELLE: Comedies! I like making people laugh! MYA: I love both comedies and dramas for different reasons. However, dramas are probably my favourite because I am given the ability to stretch my emotions. KYRAH: DEFINITELY comedies! I love making people laugh! JAIDA: Comedies! JAY: Comedies, for sure. I love performing exaggerated body language! DRAKE: Both, although I struggle a bit more with dramas. I love coming up with funny gags in comedies! JOSEPH: I, personally, enjoy acting in both comedies and dramas. Any kind of acting makes me very happy! Q6: WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE AUDIENCE TO SEE? ANNIE: The whole thing! DANIELLE: "The Spanish Panic!" MYA: The audience is going to be blown away by the whole cast; ensemble, leads and behind- the-scenes crew. KYRAH: Two words: Spanish. Panic. JAIDA: Definitely "The Spanish Panic!" JAY: The bit with the swords in "Shy!" It's really neat! DRAKE: Ethan O'Krafka and CJ Gerigs performing "Man to Man Talk." JOSEPH: I'm most excited for the audience to see my fine-a-face ;)

Q1: WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE FAIRYTALE? GRACE: My favourite fairytale would be 'Peter Pan,' and my favourite character would definitely be Tinkerbell! MOLLY: "Beauty and the Beast." RYAN: "Three Billy Goats Gruff." Q2: HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A MUSICAL BEFORE? GRACE: Yes! I'm in a musical at my school, but I've also been a part of a few plays. MOLLY: "Seussical the Musical" at my school. RYAN: This is Ryan's first musical performance! Q3: ARE YOU HAVING FUN IN 'ONCE UPON A MATTRESS?' GRACE: Of course I'm having fun in 'Once Upon a Mattress!' I'm always excited to go to rehearsals and practice! MOLLY: *incoherent giggling* I think so. RYAN: Ryan is enjoying himself very much! He especially loves the dancing and watching the other cast members rehearse and perform.

Q4: HAVE YOU SEEN A MUSICAL ON STAGE BEFORE? IF SO, WHAT WAS IT? GRACE: I've seen multiple musicals on stage before! I've seen "Finding Neverland" and "Wicked" which were both FANTASTIC! MOLLY: Phantom of the Opera. Never seeing it again because it terrifies me. Also, it was the day after I broke my collarbone so actually, it was not a very good idea for us to go and see a scary musical that day. "Yeah, that will make Molly feel better." *rolls eyes* RYAN: Yes, Ryan has seen multiple musicals: 'Mary Poppins,' 'Annie,' 'Mamma Mia,' and 'The Paper Bag Princess.' Q5: WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE AUDIENCE TO SEE? GRACE: I'm most excited for the audience to see our entrance on to the stage at the beginning of the show. MOLLY: Me! RYAN: Ryan is most excited for the performance of "Shy!"

*** TICKETS FOR 'ONCE UPON A MATTRESS' ARE NOW AVAILABLE! Purchase online at www.pennyandpoundtheatre.com OR reserve by emailing pennyandpoundtheatre@gmail.com JULY 4th-7th, 2019 at The Cambridge Arts Theatre

47 Water St. South Cambridge, ON. #pptheatreMATTRESS