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STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK Once there was an old man whose job it was to fill the moon each night. But years of doing so took its toll. He had promised his wife when they got married that they would live a life filled with travel and adventure. But when he declined to dance with her one night, she is drawn away by a mysterious melody. She takes their boat and vanishes. In response, he launches a journey to find her and reclaim what he has lost, even though it comes at the expense of lighting the moon. He sails through treacherous storms, winds up in the belly of a beast and even has a hot air balloon ride with scientists trying to figure out the change in weather caused by the moon running out of light.
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The ensemble accompanied by Ben Larroquette greet the audience with “Song from the Stone.”
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It’s a story that touches the heart even as it stirs the imagination. And Sun Valley Community School’s Upper School Theatre students are reprising this play by PigPen Theatre Co. as a live radio play with music and acting. Colleen Sullivan, the school’s new Upper School theater teacher, calls it a night of live music, folk-inspired songs and candlelit storytelling—"the feeling of tuning into a radio broadcast happening right before your eyes, complete with an on-air announcer and a guest reader each night.” Thursday’s night’s performance will feature John Larroquette, father of Upper School music teacher Ben Larroquette; Friday’s is Drennan Wesley, an Upper School history teacher and cast dad, and Ward Loving, a thespian and cast dad. Sullivan was recruited by Sun Valley Community School to replace Kevin Wade, who moved to New York this past year.
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Sydney Lovering and Hoken Johnston portray the Old Woman and Old Man.
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Before this she lived in New York and Washington, D.C., where she was a professor at American University. She has directed 50 plays, worked in play development, toured in the United State and abroad and created theater training programs. Having arrived in July she picked “The Old Man and the Old Moon” because she didn’t know what kind of talent she would have, how many students wanted to be in the fall production and how much technical expertise she’d find. The 90-minute play was created by a group of Carnegie Mellon undergrads and has since been staged in regional theaters across the country. Students will create many of the sound effects themselves, using tools like rain makers. A shadow puppet helps tell the story, and battery-operated candles give off a cozy vibe. Ben Larroquette will provide live guitar music throughout the production.
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Niko Smith bangs out a beat on the drums.
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“It’s a very ensemble play, which I believe makes for the best theater,” Sullivan said. “It’s a delightful show--like going into another world.” The ensemble cast includes: Aila Pettit (Callahan, Clerk), Amarah Wesley (Mabelu, Bartender, Dog), Annabel Stangelini (Cookie, Ben, Solomon) Hoken Johnston (Old Man), Lizzie Loving (Matheson), Niko Smith (Llewellyn, Patron), and Sydney Lovering (Old Woman, Young Woman, Mickey, Captain, Bartley). Ben Larroquette serves as Music Director and Megan Mahoney-Hegewald, the lighting designer. Elle Lucas presides over props and set crew. Showtime is 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 6-8, at the Sun Valley Community School Theater. Tickets are $8 for students and $12 for adults, available at https://www.communityschool.org/.
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After escaping from the belly of a fish the Old Man encounters a dog, which is maneuvered by Amarah Wesley.
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