DANVILLE — A menagerie of animals and one special doctor will be brought to life by a cast of Vermilion County children in third through eighth grades in the Red Mask Players’ fall children’s theater production of “Doctor Dolittle” by Olga Fricker.

“We have a delightful cast of both seasoned and first-time young performers,” Sue Harden, the play’s director, said about the 25 members of the cast. “We’re having a lot of fun working on it. I think audiences of all ages will enjoy it.”

Harden has served in many capacities with Red Mask Players, ranging from stage manager to actor to president of the board of directors. She’s also directed many of the group’s plays. Her last children’s play was in 2003.

“I’m a big advocate of children’s theater,” Harden said. “For one thing, it helps kids with reading.”

An avid reader, Harden opened this script and pointed to the words “rheumatism” and “Abyssinian” as examples of the vocabulary used in this play.

“The rehearsals teach them about discipline,” she added. “They also give the kids a chance to interact with their peers.

“That social interaction was one of the reasons Jean Lewis founded Red Mask’s Children’s Theater — new words, new friends, new self-confidence.”

Some of those reasons were reiterated by three young actors relatively new to Red Mask children’s theater.

Samantha Wesner, a fourth-grader at Northeast Elementary Magnet School, has a busy after-school schedule between homework, dance classes and softball. But she still finds time to rehearse for plays and musicals.

“I meet new people and they turn out to be friends,” Samantha said. “We stay friends after the show is over.”

Samantha will play two roles in “Dr. Doolittle”: a little girl and a hedgehog.

“I haven’t figured out my hedgehog costume yet,” she said. “I don’t know what the ears should look like.”

Harden said teddy bear-type ears would look just fine. The costumes for “Dr. Doolittle” will be kept simple, she added, using the animals’ ears and the color of their fur or feathers to delineate them.

Lucas Toole, a fifth-grader at St. Mary’s School in Westville, has his costume under control.

“I play a crocodile,” Toole said. “I’ll wear camo pants and a green t-shirt. My tail is made — it just needs some more stuffing.”

The 10-year-old credited his mother for help with his tail and his grandmother with introducing him to theater.

“She’d take me to plays here (at Red Mask),” Lucas said. “It looked like fun.

“We did a play at school and I played Joseph,” he said. “I had to kneel the whole time. This is better.”

Although Kalen McGowan considers himself “more of a singer than an actor,” he said he’s having a great time rehearsing for “Dr. Doolittle.” He’s done a few children’s musicals with Danville Light Opera before this play.

“My part is the doctor’s best friend,” the Westville eighth-grader said. “I have more lines than I’ve ever had before.”

The proud parents of another actor, Teri and Jerry Cassem of Danville, watched their 10-year-old son, Joshua, during a recent rehearsal.

“He’s been in shows before,” Teri said, “but he’s getting more confident.”

Jerry said, “He enjoys it more each time. He makes friends in every show, and those friendships continue.”

If you go

The Red Mask Players will present their fall children’s theater production, “Dr. Dolittle” at 7 p.m. Sept. 19 and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Kathryn Randolph Theater, 610 N. Vermilion St.

An extra performance will be at 2 p.m. Sept. 21 to benefit both the Vermilion County Animal Shelter and Danville Humane Society.

Tickets are $3 and may be purchased in advance at the theater box office from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday and from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The box office also will be open a half hour before all performances.

For more information about Red Mask Players children’s theater productions, visit http:// www.redmaskplayers.com or call 442-5858.