Traveling troupe brings medieval musical to town
By Benny Westcott
Of The New Era/Lebanon Local
The Traveling Lantern Theatre Company of Portland brings the Arthurian legend of Excalibur and a man who would be king to life in “The Sword in the Stone” at 6 p.m. Friday, April 14, at the Sweet Home branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Santiam, 880 18th Ave.
The free musical, complete with equally gratis hot dogs and chips for the full “dinner and a show” experience, comes courtesy of the Sweet Home Coalition for Artistic and Scholastic Enrichment, otherwise known as SHOCASE.
According to board member Shirley Austin, although “Sword” is primarily for children — the nation-touring troupe’s fare is geared for younger audiences — all ages will be entertained.
“It’s just a classic story, that everyone pretty much knows or has heard of,” she said of the medieval tale with timeless appeal. “I think the kids will just get a kick out of it. We encourage families to bring their kids and have a nice evening.”
Austin discovered the Northwest company, whose productions have included “Dorothy in the Land of Oz,” “Peter Pan,” “Pinocchio” and “Sherlock Holmes Takes the Case,” and thought it’d be perfect for Sweet Home.
“We were looking for a traveling theater in general, and I found them online, so I brought it to SHOCASE’s attention,” she said. “We just decided that it would be a good thing to bring to kids because we, of course, advocate for elementary music, and this is something that the kids can come to and enjoy, and maybe get an interest in theater.”
SHOCASE produced a “Chicken Little” play featuring Sweet Home children last summer. However, Austin said, “We have done nothing like this.”
To learn more about SHOCASE, visit shocase.site/. For more information about Traveling Lantern, go to https://travelinglantern.com/.