The Path Rarely Taken

Bridget and Stephen are sleeping over at Grandma's house. When Stephen asks his older sister to tell him a story, they "get into Grandma's old wardrobe," Abigail DeJarnatt explains, and find an old gray fur coat, a red cape -- and some shocking secrets about Grandma -- in the Arts Center of the Ozarks production of "Red Riding Hood."

The first of this season's Child's Play series, the musical has a very small cast -- just two actors, Mason Bowen and Abigail DeJarnatt -- and requires a very big imagination, says Danny Hobson, the director.

"This isn't your traditional retelling of 'Red Riding Hood,'" Hobson says, pausing before an after-school rehearsal at Hellstern Middle School, where he teaches. "Adults might think, 'Oh, another version of the same old story,' but they're going to be so surprised!"

"Like the characters, I think they'll become intrigued as the story goes on," says Abigail, who is 13. "I like it because it's a completely different take on the whole story."

"It's interesting enough for any age," says Mason, who is 17. "It's very fast-paced, and kids will understand it well, but there are lots of little nuances for older audience members."

There are also lots of challenges for the cast of two, each of whom must play multiple characters, all of which are "influenced" and interpreted by the brother and sister, Mason says.

Fortunately, in spite of their youth, both Mason and Abigail come to "Red Riding Hood" with years of experience. Bowen has appeared in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" at ACO and "The Sound of Music" at Rogers Little Theater, along with productions at Providence Classical Christian Academy in Rogers, where Abigail is also a student. She has appeared there in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and "The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree" and has the advantage of living with the private school's musical director, her mom, Kimberly DeJarnatt.

"Mom is a director of all sorts of stuff at Cross Church in Springdale," Abigail adds, "so I grew up doing whatever she threw at me."

Mason credits his mom, Kandace Bowen, a veteran actress herself, ACO and DeJarnatt for his love of the theater.

"I think music is an incredible medium -- for good and bad," DeJarnatt says. "I want to see and use the good in it."

Hobson also promises an "inventive" interpretation of Grandma's attic, detailed by Stephanie McCloud, the art teacher at Hellstern, and creative lighting.

"We're going to do some things that have never been done at ACO before," he promises. "I want audiences to go away thinking it was their favorite show ever but also ready to enjoy using their imaginations -- and maybe thinking a little bit about the cautionary part of the tale. It really shows what happens when you 'step off the path.'"

-- Becca Martin-Brown

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NAN What's Up on 09/26/2014