Sixty Grants Pass High School students will bring a kingdom’s matrimonial troubles to the stage November 13 as the school’s Theatre Department opens “Once Upon a Mattress Youth Edition,” a musical comedy whose two-weekend run includes a children’s royal festival and a sensory-friendly performance.
The fall production runs through November 22 at the GPHS Performing Arts Center, with students handling both the performances and the creation of its technical elements. Theatre teacher Julia Cuppy directs the musical, joined by choreographer Denise Baker, music director Jamie Banister and producer Tianna Eddy.
At the center of the story is a royal decree that has put weddings throughout the kingdom on hold. Queen Aggravain will allow no couples to marry until her son, Prince Dauntless, finds a bride. She also controls the tests each prospective princess must pass, setting impossible standards that have kept the prince single and everyone else waiting.
Princess Winnifred the Woebegone arrives from the swamps to challenge that arrangement. Far removed from the delicate royal ideal, Winnifred must face the queen’s Sensitivity Test before she can marry Dauntless. Among those counting on her success are Lady Larken and Sir Harry, whose own path to the altar depends on the royal wedding taking place.
The musical recasts “The Princess and the Pea” with songs, courtship and a contest of wills between an unconventional princess and a queen determined to control her son’s future. Its comedy grows from the collision between Winnifred’s personality and the expectations of the royal household, while the kingdom’s other couples have their own reasons to hope she succeeds.
Behind the curtain, students in Cuppy’s Technical Theatre class are responsible for designing and creating all technical elements of the production. Professional theatre technicians and designers Wayd Drake, Andrew Eddy, Ruth Sears and Monica McFadden are mentoring the students as that work moves from the classroom to the stage.
The production’s November 21 schedule will begin with a Royal Family Festival at 10 a.m., followed by an 11:30 a.m. sensory-friendly performance. The morning event gives children an opportunity to enter the musical’s fairy-tale world before taking their seats for the show.
Festival activities include being crowned a princess or prince, meeting the royal family, learning to curtsey, riding a pony and fighting a dragon. Games and refreshments are also included. Admission is $25 per participating child and covers all festival activities along with the performance afterward.
The sensory-friendly show will feature reduced sound levels and a softly lit auditorium. Advance notice will be provided before loud or surprising sounds, allowing audience members to anticipate those moments during the performance.
Opening night is Friday, November 13, at 7 p.m. The first weekend continues with 2 p.m. performances on Saturday, November 14, and Sunday, November 15. The musical returns Friday, November 20, at 7 p.m., followed by the Saturday morning festival and sensory-friendly show. The final performance is Sunday, November 22, at 2 p.m.
Regular performance tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, with free admission for children ages 5 and younger. Families can also purchase a $40 Family of Four package. Tickets and further details are available through the GPHS Theatre website at gphstheatre.com.
“Once Upon a Mattress Youth Edition” is presented through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.