LITTLE ROCK — Take one villainous pirate captain with a goofball crew, two wealthy sisters and their nanny (kidnapped by the pirate captain), 10 enthusiastic seventh-graders and an equally enthusiastic youth librarian. Shake vigorously twice a week all summer.
The resulting end-of-summer treat is “Hijinks on the High Seas,” an original melodrama written by Alyson Low, youth librarian at the Fayetteville Public Library. It will be performed at 1 p.m.
Wednesday at the library by the 7Ups, a group of studentswho will enter seventh grade in the fall and are volunteering for the first time.
While the rest of the 7Ups maintain the children’s area of the library and read to preschoolers, Low’s 10 volunteers spent the summer creating “Hijinks on the High Seas.”
“They’re the professionals, and I’m the amateur,” Low says. “It’s been a treat workingwith them.”
Low also created the costumes, set and props for the “shoestring-budget production,” but she promises the resulting comedy is worth much more than the $30she spent.
“They’ve made it funnier than I thought possible,” she says of the cast and crew. “It’s got a big fight scene, a big wedding, audience interaction - and a big surprise at theend. It should be a treat for both adults and kids.”
The performance also marks the end of the summer reading program at the FPL.
Admission is free.
Whats Up, Pages 15 on 07/30/2010