Theater preview
And these little piggies go to schools
HCC theater troupe hits
the road with traveling production of ‘Biggity Bad'
A big bad wolf won't be needed to blow down the houses that Howard Community College's theater department has created for the production of “Biggity Bad and the Three Little Pigs.”
The set for the school's first touring show in more than 10 years is designed to be taken down by the traveling performers — a mix of students, alumni and staff — every week while the troupe performs at local elementary schools this month and next.
The show will be performed Sunday at the college before hitting the road.
“It is so great for our students to get that kind of work under their belts before they graduate,” said Grace Anastasiadis, director of the production and the associate artistic and managing coordinator of the HCC Arts Collective.
“Everything was made to be put up in about an hour and then taken down,” Anastasiadis said. “It is really a fantastic experience for actors and students to be able to do that now and see how it works.”
Bill Gillette, the chair of HCC's theater and dance department, suggested the college again produce a traveling production after doing similar shows at Carroll Community College.
“It's a great opportunity for our students and the community,” Gillette said. “We're really excited.”
Written by Edith Weiss, “Biggity Bad” is a retelling of “The Three Little Pigs,” with positive lessons and plenty of humor, according to Gillette.
“The younger kids will find a lot of physical humor and the older kids will enjoy the built-in verbal humor,” Gillette said. “It really works for all ages.”
Rachel Mackall, 18, who plays Piggelty, has been in several productions at Howard Community College and says she's excited to be in the traveling show.
“The biggest challenge will be trying to adapt to a different stage every time,” said Mackall, a second-year HCC student. “You will never know how much space you have, and the blocking will change depending on how big or small the stage is.”
Melissa Paper-Garthoff, who plays Farmer Maggie in the show, agreed.
“It's going to be kind of a different show every time,” she said. “Every stage will be different. We will need to do a little improv. It's a good challenge — good for the brain and good for the body. ”
For both actors, those challenges are part of what makes “Biggity Big and the Three Little Pigs” unique.
“It's going to be just an incredible show,” Mackall said. “The costumes are fabulous. I get to wear a tutu and some very bright-pink leggings.”
An alumna of the school who now works in HCC's research and development office, Paper-Garthoff is looking forward to performing both at the college and in the schools.
“It is very exciting to have a show that kids will really enjoy and really get something out of it,” Paper-Garthoff said. “We have a great group of actors and everyone is committed.”
After Sunday's free performance at the college, the troupe will perform Fridays at county elementary schools.
There is no cost to the elementary schools to host the production, Gillette said. Carroll Community College recently finished its production of “Biggity Bad,” so HCC is able to use items from that production as well as limited funding to produce its version.
As for funding future productions, Gillette said there are several options — including PTA grants and charging admission for the shows at the college.
“We wanted to get it going,” Gillette said of the push to get a show launched for the new school year. “We hope it will go out every year.”
The cast has been working together for several weeks, and heading into the weekend, Anastasiadis said everyone was ready.
“They can't wait,” Anastasiadis said. “I can't wait to share it. I am sure the kids will love it.”
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