A Sign of Things to Come

  If you're planning on seeing Julie Lyn Barber's The Elves and The Shoemaker on December 14 and 21 at the Farmland Center then expect to see something like this on stage. By the by, that's me on the left as the Shoemaker's Wife and that's Kasey Cummins (a.k.a. "Princess") on the right as the Shoemaker.   Photograph by Lindsey Cox.

The Return of The Elves and The Shoemaker

  If anyone out there has the urge to see me dress in drag then this show is for you! I play the Shoemaker's Wife. Here's the info:   Historic Farmland USA in partnership with The Panto Project will present The Elves and The Shoemaker, A Children’s Panto Theatre on December 14 & 21, 2013 at 1:00pm. The performances will be at The Farmland Center, 100 N. Main Street in Downtown Farmland. Tickets are $5 per person. Reservations are recommended and payment can be made at the door. More information is available by calling 765-468-7631 or e-mailing darrinfarmland@aol.com.   The Elves and The Shoemaker is a one-hour children’s play based on the story by the Brothers Grimm. Professional and local actors team up with shadow puppets to tell the story of the kind Shoemaker and his Wife whose difficult life is made easier by some mysterious helpers who make shoes in the night. True to the panto style, there is a Good Fairy who keeps the audience informed and involved, a bad guy who is trying to interfere with the hero’s happiness, and a comedy duo who keep everyone’s spirits light. Of course, by Christmas Day, good triumphs over evil (with help from the audience and a little magic) and everyone learns a lesson in charity.   The play is written by Julie Lyn Barber, a playwright living in Parker City.   For ticket and information call 765-468-7631, visit www.farmlandindiana.org or e-mail darrinfarmland@aol.com.

Blast from the Past: The Queen of 2012 (June 2012)

  I was the Queen in Julie Lyn Barber's The Frog Prince in June. The cast also starred (Back row, l-r) Joe Skeen and Frank Knasinski and (Front row, l-r) Lydia Gosnell, Kasey Cummins, and Julie Lyn Barber   The photo was by Marty Sulek

The Frog Prince

Julie Lyn Barber, a playwright living in Parker City, Indiana has been awarded an Individual Artist Project grant by the Indiana Arts Commission for “The Panto Project.” In fulfillment of this project, she has written two new adaptations of classic children's stories. She will bring her latest production, The Frog Prince, to four intimate venues in Eastern Indiana. The play is presented in the popular, traditional British comedic style known as “panto.” The British panto style incorporates broad comedy, audience interaction and familiar characters to engage audiences of all ages. Her previous play, The Elves and the Shoemaker delighted audiences in these same venues in November and December of 2011.
Sure to get you set for summer vacation, The Frog Prince is a 30 minute children’s play, based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. This version takes on a few new twists as we follow the plights of a newly transformed frog, his faithful servant Henry, a lonely princess and her royal mother. An evil Goblin keeps trying to ruin everyone’s fun but the Good Fairy, with the help of the audience, keeps everyone safe and smiling right up to "happily ever after."
The show is directed by Julie Lyn Barber, who also plays the role of the “Frog Prince.” Tom Cherry and Joe Skeen (the comedy duo in The Elves and the Shoemaker) don dresses to tackle the roles of the “Queen” and evil “Goblin,” respectively. Other cast members include: Monroe Central High School student, Kasey Cummins as the “Princess;” Taylor University student, Lydia Gosnell as the “Good Fairy;” and retired science teacher and potter, Frank Knasinski as “Faithful Henry.”
Performance times and venues are as follows:
Sat., 6/2 at 1:00 pm at the Farmland Center, 100 N. Main St., Farmland, IN
Sun., 6/3 at 3:00 pm at the Historic Irvington Lodge, 5515 E. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN.
Fri., 6/8 at 7:00 pm at the First Presbyterian Church, 201 E. Franklin St., Winchester, IN
Sat., 6/9 at 3:00 pm in the new Lab Theatre, Rm. 101, Rupp Communications Center, Taylor University, Upland, IN
Tickets are available at the door $5 for adults, $3 for children, cash or checks only (no credit cards.) Return visitors may bring their ticket stub from a previous performance for a $2 per ticket discount.