Welcome to the Zooville School for Very Smart Animals, where each and every student discovers the power of learning and friendship.
In Caleen Jennings’s new play, “Steam Mystery: A Children’s Play,” the show follows students of Zooville School discovering steam, an assignment given by their Principal Panda.
It is a rare instance when the Department of Performing Arts pulls off a children’s show, but the actors are prepared for the challenge on Oct. 3 at the Katzen Studio Theatre.
“It’s very different than anything I’ve ever done,” Rosemary Cipriano, a junior in the School of Communication and College of Arts and Sciences, said. “It’s a lot more vocal based than I thought it would be, like projecting and making sure you’re getting through to the audience and asking questions as if you don’t actually know the answer.”
The play involves call and response sections where the audience gets to interact with the play, making intellectual engagement a must.
Linda Bard, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, plays Sally Spider in the play.
“It’s about teamwork and working together to build their steam mystery project,” Bard said. “I’m a mathematician so I love math. My song is called ‘Counting and Measuring’ and it was kind of ironic because I’m really afraid of spiders in real life.”
The play was also performed for a target audience of students from Savoy Elementary School in Anacostia.
Becky Winkler, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, who plays Muscular Muskrat said a large amount of preparation and dedication goes into the role of playing an animal.
“I watched a lot of Muskrat videos,” Winkler said. “I mean it’s hard because the other characters, the other animals in the show…you can play them kind of stereotypically, but you can’t go online and watch somebody else playing a Muskrat. Like I really messed up my knee because I got too into it.”
Bard said working on “Steam Mystery: A Children’s Play” has been a more relaxed experience than past plays that she’s worked on.
“It’s a lot of fun because it’s not so intense in terms of scene work.” Bard said. “Last year I was in Glengarry Glen Ross and that was super intense and we had to be really angry and manly. It’s really fun and the atmosphere is happy.”
The mystery of steam is not so secret, but for the students of Zooville School for Very Smart Animals, it’s about the journey of discovery.
“Steam Mystery: A Children’s Play” will play from Oct. 3-6 in the Katzen Studio Theater. Tickets are $10.
dkahen-kashi@theeagleonline.com
