STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Dozens of preschoolers sitting on the floor at the Church of the Big Wood shouted a warning as Goldy Locks happened upon a cottage in the woods.

“Bears live there!” they shouted as Goldy Locks, portrayed by Annabelle Lewis, stepped into the dwelling.

They watched as she sampled the porridge the bears had left behind while they went on a walk through the woods. And they gasped when she broke the back of Baby Bear’s chair.

Melodie Taylor-Mauldin, Andrew Alburger and Hannah Nye got a rise out of the kids when they show their bear claws.

The jaunty musical play staged by St. Thomas Playhouse Children’s Touring Theatre is bringing to life the familiar children’s tale but with a twist. In this version, Goldy Locks works with her father, a lumberjack, to try to save the Bear family’s home from destruction.

The play is being staged at elementary schools and preschools throughout the valley this week. And there will be a free presentation for the entire community at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 19, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Sun Valley Road in Ketchum.

“This is the 17th year of our outreach program,” said Director Sara Gorby. “We started it to visit schools so people didn’t have to come to us. And, for many of the children, it’s the first time they’ve seen live theater.”

Indeed, the actors themselves create the set, props and costumes, packing them into a U-Haul truck that they drive up and down Highway 75, even on mornings when snow clogs the highway.

Goldy Locks, played by Annabelle Lewis, is not nuts about spending a day in the woods with her lumberjack father George, played by Andrew Schiers, on Take Your Child to Work Day.

On Tuesday they unpacked the Three Bears’ cottage on the stage at Church of the Big Wood, setting up the Three Bears’ super short beds before inviting the tiny tots at Big Wood Preschool in.

The youngsters walked in single file in their tiny blue and green clogs and patented leather shoes. A few younger children brought by their Moms sat down behind the students, clutching their teddy bears.

Director Sara Gorby offered a brief introduction.

“What do we do with our eyes? We watch. What do we do with our ears? We listen. What do we do with our hands? We keep them in our lap. And when it’s all over? Clap, yes!”

Mamma Bear smiles as Baby Bear makes porridge.

And then the magic began.

The children laughed as Father Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear, played by Andrew Alburger, Melodie Taylor-Mauldin and Hannah Nye, snored underneath their bed covers.

A few looked concerned as Papa Bear read a Grizzly News article about how loggers planned to chop down the woods to build a road.

“If they chop down the trees where will birds build their nests and where will we live?” worried Baby Bear.

The children laughed as Papa Bear threw a dash of salt at Mama Bear as the bears prepared their porridge. And they swayed and clapped along during a catchy little tune about porridge making.

Then they watched in silence as lumberjack George Locks appeared, axe in hand, with his daughter Goldy Locks, in what was apparently Take Your Child to Work Day.

“Why do they call the trees ‘Timber’? Goldy asked her father.

“I don’t know but, when a tree’s about to fall I shout, ‘Timber!’ ” replied George, played by Andrew Schiers.

“Timber!!!!!” the children shouted.

George warned his daughter to stay put while he worked, noting that the woods are a dangerous place. But Goldy quickly became bored and wandered off to the Bears’ cottage.

The Bears returned from their walk to find her holding a tiny stuffed bear that—gasp!—they thought might be the tiniest dead bear they have ever seen. As fear of one another subsided, Goldy learned how their home was being threatened by the wood chopping and pondered how she might save their home.

Following the play, they children crowded the stage feeling the bears’ paws and peppering the actors with questions. What is it like for bears getting honey in their claws? Do bees sting bears?

Bears don’t feel stings, Alburger assured them, because their fur is so thick.

Since it’s a traveling show, the actors look for ways to simplify the set and props, said Gorby. But they also try to create fun pieces for the kids like Baby Bear’s oversized toothbrush.

“We love seeing the kids sing along with the actors,” she added.

St. Thomas Playhouse kicked off its Children’s Touring Theatre 17 years ago with another version of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” Last year’s production was “Charlotte’s Web.”

“They’re fun to do because you usually have a pretty good audience—the kids are here to have fun,” said Andrew Schiers.

Andrew Alburger has written and adapted a few of the plays over the years.

Gorby’s personal favorite through 17 years is “The Tortoise and the Hare.”

“I like the story telling us that if we ‘re always rushing we don’t enjoy the journey,” she said. “But this one we did today is a close second because of the catchy music.”

Lizzie Loving is helping out with this year’s production as part of her Senior Project looking at the importance of live theater in early childhood education.

“There are so many beneficial factors,” said Loving, who remembers seeing the touring theater when she attended Syringa Mountain School. “It’s a different way to see the stories we have read come to life with real people.”