Three local boys are getting the chance of their young lives next week as they grace the stage alongside some big names in theater.
Preston Dulaney, Jack Duncan and Jake Fennell will take on the the role of Tom of Warwick during a nationwide, internationally acclaimed performance of Lerner and Loewe’s “Camelot” opening Tuesday at the Walton Arts Center.
And although young, each actor is certain to be recognized by local audiences.
Dulaney is a veteran of the Rogers Little Theater stage, performing twice as Randy in “A Christmas Story” and as a young roustabout in last year’s production of “Les Miserables.” Although he has years of experience, he still says he’s “a bit nervous” performing in front of the larger audience.
“But I won’t have my glasses on on stage, so at least I won’t be able to see them,” he remarks with a laugh.
The youngest of the three, Jack Duncan, isn’t nervous about being in front of so many people, he says. The Fayetteville Montessori School third-grader has performed with Arts Live Theatre, recently playing parts in “Peter Pan Jr.,” and “Charlotte’s Web,” as well as taking on leading roles in school productions.
“I really like to be on stage,” he says. “So I think I will always want to do this. And be a paleontologist.”
Arkansas Arts Academy seventh-grade student Jake Fennell has previously played Marcellus in TheareSquared’s “Hamlet” and will perform in the upcoming Trike Theatre production of “The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza.” The violin player says he’s excited about performing with the big-name actors, and he hopes that his character gets to do more than just meet King Arthur.
“Tom is very brave and courageous, so I think after the play, he’ll be a knight, and he’ll fight for King Arthur,” he says. “I’m guessing that he will go out to fight for King Arthur pretty soon after the play ends, maybe even going behind enemy lines — like Bruce Willis.”
The three actors will each play the role two times out of the six Fayetteville performances. And although the role is small (only one scene), it is pivotal, says Dulaney.
“This last scene really shows how compassionate King Arthur is, how he has always been,” the high school freshman says. “He’s a king, and kings are often stereotyped as hard and greedy rulers, but this scene shows that King Arthur cares about people. That’s why they want to fight for him.”
Tom of Warwick is a young lad who accidentally appears before King Arthur (Adam Grabau) at the end of the play. Determined to become a knight, he begs the great king to allow him to join him in the fight, Fennell says.
“He has heard that to fight for the king is a great honor,” he says. “When he comes across King Arthur, he thinks this is his chance to become a knight of the round table.”
The boy is denied a role in the battle, but the ruler says he has another task for to the would-be knight, Duncan says.
With help from Excalibur, Tom of Warwick is “knighted,” sent home and commanded to remember, a command that Grabau says tells more about the king’s humanity than any of his prior acts.
“He plays a crucial role in the show as he speaks to the central theme,” he says. “When we looked at what was important to the story, we wanted to drive forward the theme of hope. After everything has gone horribly wrong, a little peasant boy shows up and restores the king’s faith. It’s everything that the round table represents.”
His enemies and his knights are sometimes both the same, and through these trials and tribulations that wear on King Arthur through the play, his compassion, humanity and wisdom inspire the other characters, and hopefully the audience, Dulaney says.
“I really hope that audience members find some sort of moral connection to this play and the scene between Arthur and Tom,” he says. “Then I want them to take that connection and use it in everyday life. And of course, to take away the enjoyment that the show brings to people.”
FAQ
“Camelot”
WHEN — 7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Feb 20-21, 2 p.m. Feb. 21-22
WHERE — Walton Arts Center, 495. W. Dickson St. in Fayetteville
COST —$36-$74
INFO — 443-5600 or waltonartscenter.org