Snow White with Only Two Actors? Challenge Accepted!

September 5, 2019

WHAT: Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is proud to announce the premiere production of Snow White, running September 29 through December 8, 2019. Commissioned and developed by CTC, this new, two-actor take on the classic Grimm’s fairy tale is adapted and directed by Greg Banks who has over 19 years of experience working at CTC and is his 14th production with the theatre. Bringing all 13 characters to life is Joy Dolo (CTC: The Hobbit, Pinocchio, The Last Firefly, and The Snowy Day and other stories by Ezra Jack Keats) and Dean Holt (CTC: now in his 25th year as a member of CTC’s Acting Company; has appeared in over 100 productions). Both actors frequently appear in Banks’ productions, most recently in last season’s critically-acclaimed production of The Hobbit.

ABOUT: This is not your usual "Once Upon a Time." Classic? No. Wild? Yes! To start with, it’s a two-person play. Do the math. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves? Two fabulous, whip-smart, super-fast actors play Snow White, the huntsman, the prince, and all seven dwarves! And it’s funny. Really, really funny. So expect the unexpected in this fabulous fairy tale with a (spoiler alert) you-won’t-see-it-coming twist.

“When I was commissioned to write Snow White for only two actors, my initial response was, ‘Help! Not Possible! There are seven dwarves!’,” stated Playwright Greg Banks. “We know them as fairy tales but they are much more than flights of fancy. Fairy tales were always told as a way of making sense of the world in difficult times. As I work on these stories, I try to hold true to that idea and speak to a young audience honestly and openly about what happens in the world—and not in a patronizing way. We’ve had enormous fun and serious challenges in telling this story, not least, figuring out how one actor can play all seven dwarves at once. We think we’ve nailed it, but that will be for you to judge. I hope you find plenty to enjoy!”

“We are bringing back one of our favorite playwrights, Greg Banks, who has put together a witty, inventive, and surprising adaptation of Snow White…for two actors, Joy Dolo and Dean Holt,” states CTC Artistic Director, Peter C. Brosius. “What I love about Greg’s version of this story is that he highlights the very redefinition of family—our Snow White has agency and chooses her new family and freedom over the classic definition of ‘happily ever after.’ It also looks at privilege and choice, narcissism and greed, and ultimately, how kindness, intelligence, and empathy win the day.”

THEMES: Family; vanity; beauty; storytelling; friendship; virtuosity; humor; spirit; resistance; community; trust; rejecting conventions; Grimm’s fairy tale; persistence; dichotomies; classics on small casts; re-imagined classics with feminist twists.

PRESS DATES: Media are invited to attend opening weekend performances, which include:

Friday, October 4 at 7pm
Saturday, October 5 at 2pm
Sunday, October 6 at 2pm

Each media person can RSVP for two tickets gratis with the option to purchase additional tickets. Production photos for world premieres will be sent within two days of the first preview performance. Advance press photos of Joy and Dean are located here.

SOURCE: Children’s Theatre Company
2400 Third Ave S, Minneapolis

MEDIA NOTES: Contact Melissa Ferlaak, Senior Communications Manager, for access to interviews with the creative team, actors, or CTC executive staff.

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is the nation’s largest and most acclaimed theatre for young people and serves a multigenerational audience. It creates theatre experiences that educate, challenge, and inspire for more than 295,000 people annually. CTC is the only theatre focused on young audiences to win the coveted Tony Award® for Outstanding Regional Theatre and is the only theatre in Minnesota to receive three Tony® nominations (for its production of A Year with Frog and Toad). CTC is committed to creating world class productions at the highest level and to developing new works, more than 200 to date, dramatically changing the canon of work for young audiences.

CTC’s engagement and learning programs annually serve more than 93,000 young people and their communities through Theatre Arts Training, student matinees, Neighborhood Bridges, and early childhood arts education programs. ACT One is CTC’s comprehensive platform for access, diversity, and inclusion in our audiences, programs, staff, and board that strives to ensure the theatre is a home for all people, all families, reflective of our community.

Snow White
Written and Directed by Greg Banks
Original Music by Victor Zupanc
Best enjoyed by everyone 5 and up

CAST
Snow White | Joy Dolo
Four | Dean Holt

UNDERSTUDIES
Snow White | C. Michael Menge
Four | Maxwell Collyard

Runtime: 80 minutes with no intermission.

Tickets: The Ticket Office is accessible by phone two hours prior to most performances. These posted hours are subject to change.
Email: tickets@childrenstheatre.org (inquiries only, no ticket processing)
Phone: 612.874.0400
Website: https://childrenstheatre.org
Subscription packages are available. Please see website for complete details: https://childrenstheatre.org/tickets/subscribe

Lap passes available for children newborn to three years for $5

ASL/AD Performance: Friday, October 11 at 7pm
Sensory Friendly Performance: Friday, October 18 at 7pm

Group tickets up to 10% off regular tickets for groups of six to nine.
Group tickets up to 25% off regular tickets for groups of ten or more.

Performance Dates

Sunday, September 29 at 7pm (Preview Performance)

Tuesday, October 1 at 7pm (Preview Performance)
Wednesday, October 2 at 7pm (Preview Performance)
Thursday, October 3 at 7pm (Preview Performance)
Friday, October 4 at 7pm (Opening)
Saturday, October 5 at 2pm and 5pm (Opening Weekend)
Sunday, October 6 at 2pm and 5pm (Opening Weekend)

Tuesday, October 8 at 7pm
Wednesday, October 9 at 7pm
Thursday, October 10 at 7pm
Friday, October 11 at 7pm
Saturday, October 12 at 11am and 2pm
Sunday, October 13 at 2pm and 5pm

Thursday, October 17 at 2pm and 7pm
Friday, October 18 at 7pm
Saturday, October 19 at 11am and 2pm
Sunday, October 20 at 2pm and 5pm

Thursday, October 24 at 7pm
Friday, October 25 at 7pm
Saturday, October 26 at 2pm and 5pm
Sunday, October 27 at 2pm and 5pm

Thursday, October 31 at 7pm
Friday, November 1 at 7pm (ASL/AD Performance)
Saturday, November 2 at 11am and 2pm
Sunday, November 3 at 2pm and 5pm

Thursday, November 7 at 7pm
Friday, November 8 at 7pm
Saturday, November 9 at 2pm and 5pm
Sunday, November 10 at 2pm and 5pm

Thursday, November 14 at 7pm
Friday, November 15 at 7pm
Saturday, November 16 at 11am and 2pm
Sunday, November 17 at 2pm

Thursday, November 21 at 7pm
Friday, November 22 at 7pm
Saturday, November 23 at 2pm and 5pm
Sunday, November 24 at 2pm and 5pm

Friday, November 29 at 2pm and 7pm
Saturday, November 30 at 11am and 2pm
Sunday, December 1 at 2pm and 5pm

Thursday, December 5 at 7pm
Friday, December 6 at 7pm (Sensory Friendly Performance)
Saturday, December 7 at 11am and 2pm
Sunday, December 8 at 2pm and 5pm

CREATIVE TEAM BIOS
Greg Banks
Playwright and Director
Previous productions for Children’s Theatre Company include adaptations of Antigone; Huck Finn; Romeo and Juliet; Robin Hood; Pinocchio; The Jungle Book; and The Hobbit. He also directed Sleeping Beauty; A Wrinkle in Time; and Charlotte’s Web. Still based in the U.K., Greg is very happy to be back with his brand new adaptation of Snow White.

Miriam Weisfeld
Dramaturg
Miriam was previously Senior Vice President at the Araca Group (Broadway) and Associate Artistic Director of Woolly Mammoth (Washington, D.C.). Additional credits: New York Theatre Workshop, American Repertory Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville. M.F.A., ART/Moscow Art Theatre Institute at Harvard University. Adjunct faculty, Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Misha Kachman
Scenic Designer
Misha has worked at Arena Stage, Asolo Rep, Baltimore Center Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Court Theatre, Filarmónica de Jalisco, The Kennedy Center, Olney Theatre Center, Opéra royal de Versailles, Pasadena Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, Seattle Rep, Signature, Syracuse Stage, The Wilma Theater, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, among many others. www.mishakachman.com

Annie Cady
Costume Designer
Annie’s CTC credits include The Hobbit; The Snowy Day and other stories by Ezra Jack Keats; and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Other credits include Ananya Dance Theater, Artistry, Commonweal Theatre, History Theatre, Jungle Theater, Park Square Theatre, Ten Thousand Things Theatre, and Yellow Tree Theatre. Annie is a faculty member and designer at Normandale Community College.

Rebecca Fuller Jensen
Lighting Designer
Rebecca has enjoyed 13 seasons as Lighting, Sound, and Video Director at CTC. Her design credits include: Pinocchio; Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat; Pippi Longstocking; A Wrinkle in Time; Robin Hood; The Iron Ring; Romeo and Juliet; The Magic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle; and Dr. Seuss’s The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.

Victor Zupanc
Composer/Sound Designer
Victor is credited with approximately 300 productions as Composer, Musical Director, and Sound Designer throughout the country and around the world winning many awards and honors. Victor often composes for orchestras, choirs, films, and also for NPR. This is Victor’s 30th season as Music Director/Composer at CTC. victorzupanc.com

Sten Severson
Associate Sound Designer
Selected credits: Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical; Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Musical; and Last Stop on Market Street (CTC); Tony®-nominated HAIR (Broadway, West End, National Tour); Drama Desk-nominated The Merchant of Venice (Broadway); Audelco Award-winning The Total Bent (Public Theater); Much Ado About Nothing (The Old Globe); and Into the Woods (Delacorte Theater).

Chris Schweiger
Stage Manager (through Nov. 10)
Chris has been at CTC for 18 seasons. She has worked across the country from NYC to Alaska including Arena Stage, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Guthrie Theater, Mixed Blood Theatre Company, New Victory Theater, Alpine Theatre Project, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Perseverance Theatre. She graduated from Northwestern University and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia.

Stacy McIntosh
Stage Manager (Nov. 9 through closing)
Stacy is in her 22nd season at Children’s Theatre Company, where she has managed over 70 productions. She has also worked at the Guthrie and Illusion Theaters in Minneapolis, Marin Theatre Company and Willows theatres in San Francisco, The Old Globe in San Diego, and New Victory and Cort Theatres in New York City. She Stage Managed the NHL Stadium Series and events for Super Bowl LII. She would like to thank her biggest accomplishments Henry and Emmet. Stacy is a Minneapolis Theatre Award recipient.

Shelby Reddig
Assistant Stage Manager
This is Shelby's second season with Children's Theatre Company. She has worked with many organizations around the Twin Cities and Minnesota including Mixed Blood Theatre Company, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Jungle Theater, and Stages Theatre Company. Shelby is a graduate of St. Olaf College.

CAST BIOS

Joy Dolo
Snow White
Joy Dolo is back in the house! At CTC, she has performed in The Snowy Day and other stories by Ezra Jack Keats; Pinocchio; The Last Firefly; and The Hobbit! She is an actor, Improvisor, and Founder of Blackout Improv Comedy and Host of American Public Media's podcast "Forever Ago.” Enjoy the show!

Dean Holt
Four
Dean is a member of CTC’s Acting Company (1994—present), appearing in more than 100 memorable productions in his time at CTC. He is a two-time Ivey Award winner (Reeling and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie) and the recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award from St. John’s University for outstanding work in his field.

UNDERSTUDIES

C. Michael Menge
Snow White
C. Michael (they/them) is an actor-improvisor excitedly making their Children's Theatre Company debut. Prior, they've enjoyed roles in Little Women; and Hand to God (Jungle Theater); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Black Ensemble Players); and more at theaters across the Twin Cities. They were named ‘Best Actor’ by City Pages in 2019.

Maxwell Collyard
Four
Maxwell Collyard is an interdisciplinary theatre/film artist working in performance and content creation. He has performed at Jungle Theater, Park Square Theatre, and Mixed Blood Theatre. Maxwell is a Park Square design fellow and designed projections for Frank Theatre, Theatre Novi Most, Turtle Theater Collective, and Playwrights’ Center.

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