Family series offers interactive comedic take on ‘Snow White’

On Friday, Nov. 20, Fredonia’s Rockefeller Arts Center will present a unique version of “Snow White” when DuffleBag Theatre returns for a humorous and interactive take on this well-known tale.

This Kaleidoscope Family Series event will take place at 7 p.m. in Marvel Theatre. The show is approximately 60 minutes and is recommended for ages 6 and up.

This will be DuffleBag’s seventh performance at Fredonia. Previous shows have included “Robin Hood,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Rumpelstiltkin.”

“Many of the family shows we have done include some form of audience participation, and it's universally popular,” Rockefeller Arts Center Director Jefferson Westwood said.

DuffleBag Theatre is known worldwide for its unique productions of classic tales and the random selection of audience members to partake in the performance through pivotal roles.

“DuffleBag probably takes the concept further than other artists, and there as there is always an improvisational, spontaneous nature to the story telling, with kids – and adults – doing unexpected things in the roles they are asked to play,” Mr. Westwood said. “The DuffleBag narrator and other actors manage to find a way to ‘go with the flow’ and incorporate everything into the action.”

The “Nearly World-Famous” DuffleBag Theater was formed in 1992 and had its inaugural performance at the London International Children’s Festival in London, Ontario, Canada. Now based in Toronto, DuffleBag performs more than 600 shows a year across Canada, the United States, and internationally.

There are more than 15 different titles in the company’s current repertoire consisting of fairy tales, classic stories, Shakespeare adaptations, and holiday-themed shows.

All of DuffleBag’s shows come from preexisting stories. The company reads original versions of stories before creating its own comical version. Improvisations and audience interaction make each performance truly an original and progressively adds to the humor of each performance.

While comedy is a trademark of a DuffleBag performance, the creativity of the company is also evident. Since DuffleBag relies on minimal technology, the company uses creative sound effects to serve as another element of comedy. Many of the sound effects are made through the microphone that the narrator has. The individual actors also provide sound effects. Even props are manipulated to create sound for a production.

Additionally, the company has their own costume designers. These skillful designers make clothing that match all the different characters and that work well for fast costume changes.

The Fredonia performance of “Snow White” is sponsored by Antoinette (Annette) Lukasik, D.D.S., as part of the Lake Shore Savings Season. The Kaleidoscope Family Series is sponsored by The Observer.

Tickets are available by phone at 716-673-3501 or online at www.fredonia.edu/tickets.