Little Company launches spring tour
The Little Company launches its 2024 touring performances of "Jack's Adventures with the King's Girl" Tuesday, Feb. 27.
The play centers around a woman collecting mountain folktales who asks the Gentry family to tell her one. They act out the story of "Jack and the King's Girl" for her. When a princess has a "witchin'" put on her, Jack decides to save her and collect the reward. It isn't an easy task, especially when he has to sleep over in a haunted house. Along the way he makes some friends who have special skills, however, and ultimately, they help him meet every challenge the old witch throws at him. This play is based on the traditional "Jack Tales" folklore of the Blue Ridge Mountains, stories that folks told each other as they did their chores. The majority of the material is drawn from the Virginia Works Progress Administration (WPA) folklore collection.
Octavia Biggs (Class of 1987), director of the Little Company, said nine MSU students are working on the tour, which will visit 20-30 schools this spring,
"Exposing children to the arts is so vital to their education and growth," she said. "Theatre can be a beautiful way to generate conversation and offer ways to explore expressions of self. When we take young children to see theatre, we increase their intelligence, teach them personal relevance, and encourage motivation to action."
The Little Company, a trademark of the MSU Theatre Program, is a touring troupe that performs a play for K-12 schools in the University's service region. In addition to the production, The Little Company also conducts workshops targeting the drama core content mandated by the Kentucky Department of Education. Biggs is entering her 11th year as tour director.
Biggs said theatre students involved in the production not only gain valuable real-world experience, but they also help younger students discover the performing arts.
"Being involved in the tour requires them to understand that they are touching the lives of young people that sometimes (with our current state of affairs towards the arts) never get the opportunity to experience arts education. Not only do they get to develop their "voices," but they also get to encourage the young people to have a "voice" and to share their creativity when in their schools," Biggs said.
Performances of the show will be scheduled each Tuesday and Thursday through May 2. To book a show, contact Biggs at o.biggsfleck@moreheadstate.edu or 606-783-2545.
The Little Company is supported by an endowment from the W. Paul and Lucille Caudill Little Foundation, the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance.
Learn more about The Little Company by emailing thelittlecompany@moreheadstate.edu or calling 606-783-2545.
For information about programs in the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance, email mtd@moreheadstate.edu or call 606-783-5447.
