Setting the Scene

This play has some unique challenges for moving actors around on stage. The setting moves from interior to exterior and from the finest castle to the lowliest slum near London Bridge.Where are the people on stage? How will the audience understand? The Castle at Carcassone pictured above has some interesting architectural features that we may be inspired by for our own production. Pictures like this help the actors to imagine what it might feel like to be in a setting like this.

A Prince,some Beggars, a King and a School...

Centennial Theatrical Productions will present The Prince and the Pauper. The show will be the culmination of the work of the Theatre Production/Set Design courses running in semester two. In this two-credit course, students will start by exploring the time period surrounding the play in detail including the fashions, the social climate at the time of Henry VIII, the living conditions in Merry Ole’ England, songs and dances of the period, the history of doppelgangers and look closely at the works of  Mark Twain. Every week, the students will rehearse inside class time and after school once a week. The students will be responsible for set designs, costume designs, dance rehearsals and learning lines. In addition to their in-class time, the 27 keen students who have signed up for the course along with more than 12 additional lucky students from CSS and Sir John A. MacDonald School will also attend one after school rehearsal each week starting in February. The production is set to go on May 23 to 25 for a total of four performances. Join us this May for a hilarious play and watch our talented students as they take you into the wonderful adventure story of rich Prince Edward and poor Tom Canty. For more information, call the school at (613) 962-9233 ext. 3460.

King Henry VIII, the father of the prince

The Mark Twain classic has been adapted into many dramatic scripts, and CSS is working on a humorous adaptation by James DeVita (Pioneer Drama Service) that should keep the audiences in stitches. Did you know that the Prince in the story is none other than Prince Edward, son of Henry? Did you know that Henry wrote music?
Check out the link below for a lovely taste of one of Henry's ditties. http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/king-henry-the-viii-musician-and-composer/