DANVILLE —
Children and adults of all ages can enjoy a wonderful journey through the Wild Woods of the English countryside — where humans and animals live and play together — simply by attending the Red Mask Children’s Theater production of “Mr. Toad’s Mad Adventure.”
Performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday at the Kathryn Randolph Theatre, 601 N. Vermilion St. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 12 and younger.
The play is based on Kenneth Grahame’s 1908 children’s classic “The Wind in the Willows.” The story follows the trials that the Wild Woods animals have with their rich, impulsive friend Mr. Toad, who is constantly getting into trouble.
Director Amanda Coutant is no stranger to this show. She also directed a musical version for the Danville Light Opera several years ago.
“My brother played Toad in that show,” she said, “so this performance brings back a lot of fun memories.”
Coutant said working with children in the theater is a special treat for her because they are so willing to try new things.
“The children gain some responsibility and make some new friends, and the veteran actors help the new ones,” she said.
The director has performed in Red Mask Children’s Theater productions since 1994, as well as in several adult plays. She finds directing and performing equally challenging.
The cast of “Mr. Toad’s Mad Adventure” includes 24 child actors who play Mr. Toad, Mole, Rat, Badger, various other inhabitants of the Wild Woods, and a group of scheming weasels.
Lucas Toole, an eighth-grader at Westville Junior High School, and his sister Erin, a fifth-grader at Judith Giacoma Elementary School, are both acting in the show. Lucas is the Chief Weasel and Erin is Weasel No. 3. They both have experience in other Red Mask productions.
Their parents, Douglas and Jennifer Toole, try to attend all their rehearsals and performances.
“It’s wonderful that Red Mask offers children’s theater,” Jennifer said. “It gives the kids confidence and allows them to make new friends from other schools. We’re lucky to have this opportunity in Danville.”
Victoria Juvinall, a fifth-grade student at Danville Christian Academy, is performing in her first Red Mask children’s play. She plays two parts: a nurse and a judge.
“I’ve had some great experiences with the Danville Light Opera and some school plays,” Juvinall said, “and I want to keep on acting.”
Meredith Black, an eighth-grade student at Schlarman Academy, has acted in both the Red Mask Children’s Theater and the DLO before. She plays the parts of a law clerk and a washerwoman in “Mr. Toad’s Mad Adventure.”
“I always look for ways to make my characters funny,” Black said.
Andrew Cook, who plays Mr. Toad, is in the fifth grade at Oakwood Grade School. This is his second Red Mask children’s play. He said the part of Mr. Toad has a lot of lines, so he was a little intimidated at first.
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