SteppingStone Theatre For Youth Development Presents Hanuman & the Girl Prince 10/23-11/8

SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development is presenting a world premiere production of Hanuman & The Girl Prince, October 23-November 8, 2009.

In this zany Bollywood-meets-Shakespeare comedy of errors, mistaken identities, intrigue and great heroism abound! An Indian princess disguised as a prince finds love with the help of Hanuman, the mischievous Monkey King in this fantastical new musical play in verse. Hanuman & the Girl Prince is a story that tells of the power of true love, loyal friendship, and being true to oneself. It¹s Much Ado about... a Monkey!

The production, written by local playwright Aditi Brennan Kapil, and with music by well-known musician and composer Gary Rue, is based on an episode in the classic Indian epic, The Mahabharata. This is the second play specially commissioned by SteppingStone Theatre for its imaginative 'Hanuman Trilogy.'

Full of action and pageantry, the play takes place in an Indian court during the festival of Diwali, the Festival of Lights. The festival's theme of the triumph of good over evil is mirrored in the play itself. Resonating with audiences young and old, this magical blend of East and West (with a little Shakespearean action and iambic pentameter thrown in!) will appeal to all who enjoy a classic, action-filled tale of finding true love.

This fantastical new musical is set in verse, written by Aditi Brennan Kapil, with traditional and modern music by Gary Rue and scintillating choreography by Rita Mustaphi. Directed by Warren C. Bowles, Steppingstone's production will feature magical sets, exquisite costumes, and as always, a
young cast trained by theatre professionals and held to high performance standards. (A full cast list is available.)

Rita Mustaphi, the choreographer for the production, works in traditional and modern Indian dance. She explains, 'I am a Kathak dancer and choreographer. When the opportunity came to work on Hanuman and The Girl Prince I was excited about the story and working with the other creators. I
jumped into this challenge and why not? Bollywood always uses classical Kathak dance and here was my opportunity to work with kids and infuse Kathak into a Bollywood-type production. My goal is to not only bring in the movements, the hand gestures, (the Mudra), and the tapping feet, but also spoken dance syllables so everyone will see and hear dance!'

Performance Information:
All performances of Hanuman & The Girl Prince are in SteppingStone¹s new theatre, a beautifully renovated 100-year-old architectural gEm Located at 55 Victoria Street North, one block north of Summit Avenue in the Historic Hill District of St. Paul.

Hanuman & The Girl Prince is appropriate for all ages. SteppingStone Theatre is fully-accessible to persons with disabilities, and has regularly-scheduled ASL & Audio Described performances. Interpreters can be scheduled for other performances at no additional cost upon request. For more information, call 651-225-9265.

Ticket Prices:
Groups 20+: $7.00 (scholarships available)
Adults: $11.00
Children & Seniors: $9.00
Advance online tickets are just $7.00 per ticket (buy before 8:00pm Thursday evenings for weekend shows)
Performance times and tickets are available at (651) 225-9265 or http://www.steppingstonetheatre.org/

SteppingStone Theatre is Saint Paul's professional theatre for young audiences, serving tens of thousands of diverse youth, families and educators each year. The theatre has become a premier destination for affordable theatre education and entertainment, and has received numerous
local and national awards including the Aurand C. Harris Children's Theatre Award, Sally Ordway Irvine Award for Education, and the St. Paul Heritage Preservation Award.

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