Evil Witches Squelch Children at the Lewis Family Playhouse!

City Staff have reported an unusual sight around the halls of the Lewis Family Playhouse. Normal-seeming women have been seen squelching unsuspecting children, who then seem to disappear forever. In some instances, instead of being squelched, children have been rumored to be transformed into other creatures, including mice! Staff urges all patrons to the Playhouse and the Library to be vigilant - and to purchase tickets to MainStreet Theatre Company's production of Roald Dahl's The Witches, opening October 14th and running through October 29th.

Opening their 2017/208 season, and arriving just in time for Halloween, MainStreet Theatre Company is proud to present The Witches, based on Roald Dahl's book, and adapted by David Wood. The production is directed by Abigail Deser.

This classic tale combines some quirky, scary, fun with great messages about what it means to confront evil, how to be a hero, and the power of being accepted and loved for who you are. When a Boy is turned into a mouse by the evil witches, his loving grandmother accepts him for who he is, and they team up to prevent the witches from turning all of England's children into mice. Even though The Boy stays a mouse, he reminds his grandmother that it doesn't matter who you are or what you look like so long as somebody loves you.

MainStreet's production includes Doug Harvey as BOY, Janet Greaves as GRANDMOTHER, and Gigi Bermingham as THE GRAND HIGH WITCH. The many other characters who inhabit Dahl's singular world will be played by Quinn Armstrong, Edward Brauer, Matt Foyer, Taylor Jackson Ross, and Sarah van der Pol.

Among Abigail Deser's previous work for MainStreet was another Roald Dahl story adapted by Mr. Wood, The Magic Finger. MainStreet's version of that script was subsequently published by Samuel French. The Witches was first performed in the UK in 1992, but has never been performed in the Los Angeles area. This production also reunites many artists who have collaborated at MainStreet, including Victoria Petrovich (Scenic & Co-Projection Design), Brian Gale (Lighting & Co-Projection Design) John Zalewski (Sound Design), and Sherry Linnell (Costume Design). The team also includes JohAnna Smith (Puppet Design), Jenny Smith Cohn (Prop Design), and Andre Harrington (Hair & Makeup Design). Mary K Klinger is Production Stage Manager.

Roald Dahl's The Witches runs October 14th - 29th with performances on Saturdays at 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm (no 1:00 pm performance October 14th) and Sundays at 1:00 pm (no performance October 15th). Tickets are priced at $18.00 for General admission, and $16.00 for Seniors and Youth up to age 12. In addition to the 7 public performances, The Witches will scare thousands of elementary aged children at an additional 20 performances on weekday mornings for school field trips, beginning on October 10th. Specially priced $10.00 tickets are available for Foundation Family Saturday performance on October 14th. Foundation Family Flex pack tickets are just $12.00 if purchased in quantities of four or more for the same performance and are available for all MainStreet Theatre Company productions.

During weekend performances of The Witches, families can participate in lobby activities before the show, and children can meet the cast in the lobby for autographs after the show. There will also be a short "talk-back" after the performance on Sunday, October 22nd.

An intimate, 536-seat venue, the Lewis Family Playhouse is the crown jewel of the three-acre, 89,000-square-foot Victoria Gardens Cultural Center. The complex at 12505 Cultural Center Drive and is conveniently located off the I-15 at Foothill Boulevard, as a major anchor of Victoria Gardens. The Box Office is open Monday through Friday from noon to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with free parking available.

MainStreet Theatre Company, included in American Theatre Magazine's 2016 list of "20 Theatres you should take your kids to," is the resident Equity Company at the Lewis Family Playhouse, producing innovative plays and musicals for the whole family.

For more information - For additional information or to purchase tickets for any of our performances please visit www.lewisfamilyplayhouse.com or call (909) 477-2752 or (877) 858-8422.