"Little Prince" On the Road

At the end of the fall semester, the St. Ambrose University Theatre Department performed its annual children's show. This year, the Department put on a production of The Little Prince. This production was especially unique because it was an original adaptation by SAU alum, Aaron Randolph III, and SAU Theatre Department chair, Daniel Rairdin-Hale.

This was only the second production in history of this adaptation of The Little Prince. Additionally, this production was also unique for its use of commedia dell'arte-esque masks and puppets. These two elements helped set the production apart from an everyday play.

When The Little Prince premiered at St. Ambrose, adjudicators from KCACTF came to watch the show. After their review, the production was chosen to perform at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Sioux Falls, SD. The last time Ambrose took a production to festival was when Oedipus Rex was chosen in 2011.

The entire cast was very excited to receive this amazing honor.

"I was so excited that The Little Prince was picked," said senior cast member T.J. Green, who played the Businessman. "It was an amazing opportunity to present our art at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival."

"I have gone to KCACTF four times, and I always have a good time at the festival," said senior cast member Sarah Goodall, who played the King. "At the end of the day, bringing our own show to the festival brought an entirely new experience."

Taking the play to KCACTF was not all fun and games, however. Transporting an entire set across the Midwest took a lot of work and preparation. The cast and crew had to rehearse loading the set in and out of a truck many times. It was important for the cast and crew to be very familiar with the load in/load out process, so that every member of the process was safe, efficient, and comfortable with their jobs.

The festival offers an uncommon audience because every audience member understands the effort it takes to put up a production, and everyone has a shared love for theatre. So, when the time came for The Little Prince to perform, the anticipation could not have been higher. The audience was incredibly responsive, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house by the time it reached its bittersweet end.

Being able to represent St. Ambrose University at a region-wide festival was an incredible opportunity for the Department and a great way to show off the quality of Ambrose's theatre. The Theatre Department is very proud and can't wait to produce another great play!