ONCE UPON A MATTRESS Comes to Conejo Players Theatre Next Month

Conejo Players Theatre presents Once Upon a Mattress by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer.

Opening October 13th, Conejo Players presents a story from many moons ago in a far-off place. Queen Aggravain decreed no couples could marry until her son, Prince Dauntless, found a bride. Princesses came from far and wide to win the hand of the prince, but none could pass the impossible tests given to them by the Queen. That is, until the “shy” swamp princess, Winnifred the Woebegone, showed up. Would she be able to pass the Sensitivity Test, marry her prince and help Lady Larkin and Sir Harry to the altar? This musical, by turns hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, is a spin on the classic tale The Princess and the Pea and provides some side-splitting shenanigans. After all, a princess is a delicate thing.

Jen Ridgway makes her directorial debut with Mattress, after performing with several theaters throughout Ventura county for the past 20 years. As a new director, she found a new perspective on why community theater is so important, especially for youth performers. “I came to realize that the shows I did at 13 and beyond helped shape the person I am now. Even the shows I went to see ignited a passion that I’m not sure I would have found elsewhere. I used to watch a play and discuss it in animated detail on the car ride home, so getting the chance now to take the reins is a dream come true for my younger self. Seeing and performing in live theater at that age taught me everything about being a collaborative adult and the value of community and volunteerism.”

But just because it’s her debut as a director, doesn’t mean she’s not taking any risks, “I have trouble doing anything exactly by the book, and it was important to me to let the kid’s energy inform the design and feel of the show as a whole.” said Ridgway, “We see a lot of modern influences and plenty of imaginative spins that I think breathe new life into the piece. I think it’s lovely to see the younger generation take something written in 1959 and find themselves in the material.”

“Once Upon a Mattress” runs Oct 13 – 22, 2023. Show times are Friday 7pm, and Saturday/Sunday 1pm & 4pm.