Coterie Closes the Curtain on Andrew Clements' FRINDLE, 5/23

Andrew Clements' award-winning story, Frindle, will end its run at the Coterie Theatre in Crown Center May 23. The humorous story follows Nick, a very creative student, and his discovery into the power of words. Due to the popularity of Frindle, run dates have been extended from the originally published performances.

In Mrs. Granger's language arts class, Nick gets his best idea ever when his teacher explains how words end up in the dictionary. Nick decides to create his own word... frindle, and he gets other kids in the class to use the word. Before long Nick's word creates a buzz well beyond his school and town. But his teacher loves the dictionary, so a fierce power struggle ensues over a made-up word!

"I'm thrilled to be doing this play," said Director Ernie Nolan. "I shared this book with the Coterie years ago when I was doing an internship. I overhead two teachers at Barnes and Noble talking about how smart and funny it was and how much their kids loved it. I read it and agreed with them. I knew I had to do it on stage.

"It's an empowering story for young people about how their ideas can change the way they think," he said. "And for adults, it reminds me of the power we have to inspire young people. What's neat in the end is that both the student and the teacher learn from each other."

For the stage, we've had to think out of the box when interpreting the story, Nolan said. The designers, for example, looked to pop culture for inspiration. PBteen and Andy Warhol influenced the set design. Iconic youth images such as Zac Efron inspired the costumes.

"I think the audience will see something really cool and contemporary. It speaks to young people without being a fairy tale or overblown cartoon," he said.

"Andrew Clements set the standard for the school story in 1996 with his first novel, Frindle, which went on to sell more than two million copies... Frindle hits every note right." - New York Times Sunday Book Review

Frindle is the second production in the Coterie's Family Series. Funding is provided in part by the Missouri Arts Council (MAC) and the ArtsKC Fund.

ABOUT THE COMPANY
The cast features Kevin Albert (Mr. Freed), Aaron Branch (Chris), Molly Denninghoff (Mom), Alex Espy (Dad), Peggy Friesen (Mrs. Granger), Nick Grant (Howie), Jennie Greenberry (Mrs. Chatham), Melanie Humphrey (Janet), Jeff Newman (Ensemble), Cooper J. Scott ( Nick), Carley Whitt (Janet), and Corrie Van Ausdal (Judy, Darlene).

The artistic and Production Company includes Ernie Nolan (director), James Holborow (set designer), Kelly Kasper (costume designer), Ryan Hall (composer), Ron MeGee (properties), Art Kent (light designer), David Kiehl (sound designer), Amy M. Abels Owen (stage manager), Scott Hobart (technical director), , and Rachel May Cain (assistant director, production assistant and house manager).

Photo: Nick (Cooper J. Scott) creates a buzz when he invents a new word...frindle. Photo: Marianne Kilroy/Coterie Theatre