The Mudds’ Aladdin Jr. —It Takes a Team!

The Mudds’ Aladdin Jr. —It Takes a Team! - theHumm February 2017

By — Kate Cooney, Aladdin Jr. CoDirector

You see an ad in the paper or a banner on Bridge Street, letting you know that the Mississippi Mudds youth are putting on a play. That seems nice. What you don’t realize, perhaps, is that those kids, aged nine to eighteen, have been practicing for six months. There is a team of adult and youth volunteers who have been putting the show together for almost a year.

This year, the “Mudds kids”, as they are lovingly called, are presenting Disney’s Aladdin Jr. The show is a funny, romantic, toe-tapping adventure through the ancient streets of Agrabah. You are all familiar with the story and songs, but what you may not know is how we get to a full-fledged show. The Mudds are famous for their elaborate costumes. To put on a show like Aladdin, we have a team of only four or ?ve women who sew, gather, borrow and alter to out?t a cast of forty. These ladies know their way through a thrift store. Some of the costumes can take hours each to create! These women make the marketplace come to life with bright colours and (?ctional) historical period accuracy.

Now, is the cast just standing around the stage? No, they need to dance and move — it is a musical after all. This year, we are lucky to have two people doing our choreography. One is a high school student herself, who has been at every rehearsal and stands in front of forty of her peers and dances alone to teach them the steps. If you’ve ever been a teenager, you can imagine how dif?cult it is to put yourself out there like that. The other part of our dance team is a local volunteer, who is teaching the harem girls of the cast to bellydance. The girls are so excited by learning this new skill, and what a great life experience for them.

The next major task is turning a one-hundred-year-old theatre into a two-thousand-year-old market place. The transformation takes place over one or two weekends. This time a team of about twelve volunteers built, painted, glue-gunned and created the whole set. This takes two full weekends, but has been in the works for months, with ideas ?oated back and forth to create special effects, different settings, and a certain amount of awe. I’m sure you’ve guessed that these people also know their way around a thrift store.

This is only about half of the team of volunteers, though we do have some that overlap. The others who must be mentioned are the photographers, the lighting and sound team, the people who sell tickets and run the canteen, the music director, artistic director, the stage management team and the producers. Behind the very talented cast up is a whole bunch of people who believe in this opportunity and in these kids who give up time, sweat and sometimes even tears, to create a successful production.

Here is the very important part: how can you help? We are always happy to meet new volunteers, but the easiest thing you can do is come and watch the show! Performances take place at the Carleton Place Town Hall, with shows on February 17, 23 and 24 at 7pm, and matinées on February 18, 19 and 25 at 2pm.

Tickets are available at Hallmark at 438 McNeely Avenue in Carleton Place. All performances are $10 except Thursday the 23rd, which is $5. Call 253–3000 for tickets, or visit mississippimudds.ca for more details.

Paddye Mann —Speaking theLanguage of Clothing - theHumm February 2017

By — Bruce Anderson (submitted Jeff Mills)

Hummble Thought

The Mudds’ Aladdin Jr. —It Takes a Team! - theHumm February 2017