Rescuing Dreamwood
Prince Ernie needs to be married quickly! Dreamwood Castle is broke and a rich princess with impeccable lineage (and money!) must be found immediately. Unfortunately, the evil fairy Liesl has plans to take over the castle. As Queen Marta holds a fundraiser ... er...ball to auction off Prince Ernie, it is found that Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel and Beauty are not proper princesses at all. The decidedly unsuitable Princess Hank shows up with a plan to make things right. She has a pal who can spin straw into gold. Unfortunately, no one will listen, especially Queen Marta who is busy fighting rumors that she married a man who was once a frog. A compilation of numerous fairy tales, this wild romp to save Dreamwood will have audiences laughing and rooting for hapless Ernie and the "unprincessy" Hank. About 90 minutes.
Productions
Behind The Scenes
PLAYWRIGHT CALUDIA HAAS
TALKS ABOUT "RESCUING DREAMWOOD"
Q.: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS PLAY?
A.: I wanted to showcase a group of outstanding and quirky students. Also, I had just come off almost two years where I had written plays of regarding the inhumanity and damaging effects of "hate" and wanted something that would be filled with laughter.
Q.: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART OR LINE IN THE PLAY? WHY?
A.: I do enjoy the ball where you hear snippets of conversation that eventually come to a conclusion. I love overhearing parts of conversations and making up the rest of it in my head.
Q.: WHERE DID THE CHARACTERS COME FROM?
A.: They are (loosely) based on fairy tales where I wanted the heroines and the Prince Charming to not be quite so perfect. Of course, being a little sneaky, family members and friends always seem to creep into the characters. One may be based on a famous person! Or rather based on the "aura" of that person.
Q.: WHAT DID YOU TRY TO ACHIEVE WITH THIS PLAY?
A.: A romp! I wanted a celebratory play where everyone has their place in the sun. I also wanted this to be a joyous rehearsal period and a production filled with laughter on, off and backstage.
Q.: DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD?
A.: If people have as much fun producing this as I had writing it and working with my students on it - that is a huge smile for me.