Moses Lake kids perform 'Jack and the Beanstalk'

MOSES LAKE - Fee-fi-fo-fum. I smell a night of theatrical fun.

Columbia Basin Allied Art's Green Turtle children's series presents "Jack and the Beanstalk," and kids from throughout Grant County are showcasing their acting abilities in the production.

"When we say we're all the arts for all the people, this is part of it - our children's part," said Executive Director Pat Daugherty. "We bring the children in from ... various schools throughout the region."

Most of the actors are from Moses Lake and Ephrata.

Charlotte B. Chorpening adapted the classic tale for children's theater. The play tells the story of Jack, who trades his family's cow for three magic beans. Jack's mother is distraught when she learns of the transaction, but it turns out there is some magic in the beans when they grow into a massive beanstalk. Jack climbs it and encounters a giant and his wife.

"We've been trying to do classical children's theater using children," said Director Randy Johnstad. "They just love it. They walk in like little kids and they leave like young adults. It's amazing how talented these kids are. ... I'm so proud of them every year."

Johnstad previously directed "The Pied Piper" and "Tom Sawyer" for Columbia Basin Allied Arts, he said. He is also the drama advisor at Ephrata High School.

For many of the children in the show, it's their first taste of acting, said Johnstad. Others are veterans of previous Green Turtle shows.

"They get used to it and then they get bumped up to roles with lines," he said. "It's starting to be quite a tradition and so we're getting people that are coming back."

The play promises to be fun for patrons of any age, said Johnstad.

"It's beyond what people think these kids can put out," he said. "Kids love to see kids on stage ... These kids have got it together."

The kids perform "Jack and the Beanstalk" at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday at the Big Bend Community College Wallenstein Theater, 6989 College Parkway NE, in Moses Lake.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for children.

To order tickets, call 509-793-2059, email basinarts@bigbend.edu or fax 509-762-6329.

Tickets are available at The Bookery in Ephrata, The Big Bend Community College bookstore and Andrew's Hallmark in Moses Lake.