'Rumplestiltskin' wants someone to play for

Their t-shirts relay a plea for someone to play with – which is exactly what Stimulus Children's Theater hopes to provide for West Philadelphia schoolchildren with its upcoming production of the musical, Rumpelstiltskin. The two performances in room 511 of the Annenberg Center this Friday and Saturday mark the beginning of a 10-performance series which will visit five local elementary schools and Children's Seashore House, a state-operated child health care facility. Admission is $2 for the Annenberg performances. The cast features College sophomore Karen Cho as Rumpelstiltskin, College freshman Kara Kaplan as Serina the queen and Engineering freshman Mike LaMonaca as the king. The performances for University students are especially important for the group, according to Co-producer and College junior Amy Snare. Stimulus has received a limited budget from SAC this year, so the group must depend largely on University ticket revenue to fund future productions. In this version of the classic folk tale, "the twist is that Rumpelstiltskin is doing [what he does] for a reason – he wants a friend," said Director and College sophomore Elaine Dwyer. "There's a lot to be learned about friendship in the play," Dwyer said. "That's the basis of Stimulus, there is something to be learned." Stimulus also aims to bring theater productions to children who otherwise would not have an opportunity to see them, such as students in inner-city schools, explained College junior Raj Prasad, the show's co-producer. The production aims to convey a lesson to its viewers. As Snare explained, the show works interactively with the kids in the audience. For example, when Rumpelstiltskin becomes invisible, she asks the audience to help her test her powers of invisibility. The players often speak directly to the audience and sometimes even move out into the audience as they perform. The performances for children are also accompanied by pre- and post-performance workshops which involve the children directly, Prasad said. College sophomore Andrew Segall, another castmember, explained that acting for an audience of children is a unique experience. "You have to be a lot more aware of your audience," he said. "You have to take on the mindset of a child – how would you be reached?" Segall added that "there's no feeling in the world like sitting in a theater after a show, and having 40 or 50 second-graders asking you to autograph their programs."