BEANSTALK! THE MUSICAL!
Fundraiser for Rainbow for Kids
Book, Lyrics & Music by Kevin M. Mitchell
Directed by Barb Mulligan
Choreographed by Donna Plumley, Musical Direction by Kevin Kurth
Produced by Barb Jochens
Webster Groves Theatre Guild
July 20, 21, 22
July 27, 28, 29
Rainbow for Kids presents a fundraiser musical, Beanstalk! The Musical! This original musical was a sold-out hit when first performed in St. Louis in 1996. Written by Kevin M. Mitchell, this production is directed by Barb Mulligan. The production dates are:
July 20, 21, 22
July 27, 28, 29
Auditions: June 5, 2007
6:00 to 7:30 - 9+ year olds through teens
7:30 to ? - adults
Bring music, accompanist provided. Cold readings. Wear comfortable clothes - will learn short dance. No appointment necessary.
At: Theatre Guild of Webster Groves, 517 Theatre Lane, Webster Groves, MO 63119.
Rainbows for Kids is a nonprofit organization helping children with cancer and their families.
Questions about this production, call Producer Barb Jochens at 314.210.0527 or email at beanstalkthemusical@yahoo.com.
Cast of Characters
The Village:
Jack: ??14?? played by someone as old as 18. A wise-crack, works really hard at being lazy, always looking for a shortcut. Carries the show. Must sing, dance, and be funny.
Old Woman / Eldra: The evil villainess that lures little boys and girls up to the castle in the sky. Must sing.
Maggie: Jack??s mother-sweet, but smart. From the school of hard knocks. Wants Jack to do good.
Linister: Nasty guy down to the handlebar mustache and top hat with cape, wants to marry Maggie. That and put a mega-mart where the town square is.
Milkey: Jack??s cow, only line is ??Moo?? but must be able to act out his/her meaning.
Donovan: Lovable lug, generous, big strong guy. Secretly loves Maggie from afar, ends up being her hero.
Jim Kiley: The dairy man. In Irish Chico Marx.
Salesperson #1, 2, & 3: Slick sales folks who sing in the first song, then are part of Villagers (can double up on other parts if desired)
THE VILLAGERS:
Bainbridge: Donavan??s Friend
Miss Cotter: Maggie??s friend.
Villagers: adults of all ages, shapes and sizes, many have a few lines and sing, including: Mrs. Kiley, daughter Emma; Mr. & Mrs. Smiley (the butcher and his wife); Old Man Reynolds.
THE CASTLE:
Telly: The giant. Big, and not so bright-really a puppet to Eldra. Loud, willing to be silly.
Megan: Teenage girl, half girl, half harp-the witch has made her so because of her beautiful voice and so she never leaves the castle. Jack becomes smitten with her.
Gussy: The goose that lays the golden eggs, and Megan??s closest friend. Only line is ??honk,?? but must be able to act out his/her meaning, like Milkey
Reggie: The gang leader-kind of a Bowery Boy and you never know if you can trust him.
Grubs with a few lines: Stew, Hors D??Oeuvre, Carrot Cake, Cookie Crumb, Biscuit ?? of various ages.
Additional Grubs/Chorus: Up to 10
Kids Chorus: any number
The Story
Once upon a moment in a time found in a parallel universe, there lived a young lad named Jack in a land similar to 17th century Ireland in a fairy-tale sort-of-way. When Jack was just a wee tad, his no-good father had gone to the market and, er, never returned. Maggie, Jack??s Mom, has raised Jack alone as best she can, trying to hang onto their farm in the process.
But Jack, now a teen-ager, isn??t fond of hard work. Always finding ways to cut corners (and tending to lose important farm tools in the process), he inadvertently brings the farm to near financial ruin. Desperate for the month??s mortgage to keep the evil, lecherous Larry Linister away, Jack is forced to sell the family cow.
Once sold, Jack meets an old woman who wants to trade Jack??s cash for some ??magic beans.?? Promising him riches of gold, Jack foolishly goes for it-not knowing that the old woman is actually Eldra, the Evil Witch of the magic castle in the sky. (Eldra can transform her appearance on earth, and loves lying children like nobody??s business.)
The next morning, Jack has to tell his Mom that he has traded the cash needed for the mortgage that month for three ??magic?? beans. Maggie, crushed that Jack allowed himself to be taken at the cost of losing the farm, leaves crying. Mad at himself for disappointing his mother, Jack throws the beans aside ... only to see them take root, and grow into a giant beanstalk.
Jack climbs it, thinking he??ll get gold. Once in the magic castle, he meets Megan, the harp, and Reggie and his gang of Grubs-all of whom were lured by the Eldra on promises of riches. But Jack hasn??t sealed his fate, yet. See, once in the magic castle, should the ??victim?? tell three lies, then his or her way of getting back home (in Jack??s case, the beanstalk) disappears forever-leaving them to spend their lives living in the wall trying not to be eaten by the Giant, Eldra??s henchman.
Can Jack do the right thing and get out of this mess without telling any lies? Is Megan on his side or Eldra??s? Can he take the grubs with him? Can he get back with the gold his mother needs to keep the evil banker Linister at bay? Will Jack be change his slothful ways? Only time will tell ...
P.O. Box 260027 St. Louis, MO 63126 (314) 842-9724
Rainbowsforkids.org email: WriteAsRains@sbcglobal.net
* * * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE * * *
Charity Group Stages Original Family Musical
for Fundraising Event
Beanstalk! The Musical! Revived for performance at
Webster Groves Theatre Guild July 20-22, 27-29
Media Contact: Barb Jochens 314.210.0527
May 4, 2007
St. Louis-based Rainbows for Kids?? annual major fundraising event will be the performance of Beanstalk! The Musical! at the Webster Groves Theatre Guild. Auditions for the play will be held at the theater, 518 Theatre Lane, Webster Groves, June 5th with callbacks on June 6th. The musical calls for eight to ten adult men and women, six to eight teenagers, and ten to twelve kids age 8-12.
??This event will serve as our one big fundraiser for the year, so it is important to the organization in that respect,?? says Sally Tippett Rains, Volunteer Executive Director of Rainbows for Kids. ??But what excites me more is that some of Rainbow??s children and their siblings will actually get to be in the play. We have pooled some amazing local talent together already, and we are looking forward to a terrific production and a successful fundraiser for this very worthy cause.??
Rainbow for Kids is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity organization that has been helping families of children with cancer and other serious illnesses since 2000.
Beanstalk! is loosely based on the fairytale ??Jack and the Beanstalk?? but tells far more of the story. It turns out that Jack is hardly the only kid to be lured by promises of golden eggs-there??s a whole society of Bowery Boy-type kids living in the walls of the castle trying to stay away from the large, but not-so-bright giant. It??s up to Jack to put his personal greed aside and help others by outwitting the evil witch that runs the castle. Meanwhile, his mother back home has to deal with the local developer wanting her farm (among other things).
Beanstalk! was written and composed by St. Louisan Kevin M. Mitchell, a local author and playwright who created the show in the 1990s. He??s written for St. Louis Magazine and other monthly publications, consulted on and written for local political campaigns, and continues to write books and play music. He wrote the lead role of the witch for Barb (Tippett) Jochens, who starred in the original production, which was performed in St. Louis in 1996 to sell-out crowds. Jochens has taken the producer??s reins for this revival.
??I??ve always supported Rainbows for Kids, and of course I was flattered when Barb asked me to revisit this musical,?? Mitchell says. ??It??s always a great opportunity for a writer to take another look at a work and make it better. We have a fantastic director and choreographer already on board, and it??s such a great opportunity for me and everyone involved with Rainbows.??
In addition to Jochens??s theater background, she??s been a singer in popular St. Louis bands since she was 18 years old, and currently is in a jazz quartet that includes her longtime high school friend, Mitchell.
Signed on to direct is local director and actress Barb Mulligan. Mulligan has done extensive directorial work at the Webster Theatre Guild, including Nunsense, The Bad Seed, Guys and Dolls, Grease, Bye Bye Birdie, and many others. She??s directed for the Ozark Actors Theatre, Curtain Call Players, and Kirkwood Theatre Guild, and acted and worked backstage for the St. Louis Repertory Theater and the New Jewish Theatre, and has been active in teaching and directing children in theater her entire career.
??Kevin and I are really excited that we were able to bring back the show??s original choreographer, Donna Plumley,?? Jochens says. ??She is an amazing talent who is terrific with kids.?? Plumley is a longtime director and choreographer who has worked with community groups and high schools on such shows as Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Hello Dolly, The Sound of Music, Oliver!, andBye-Bye Birdie.
??In addition to being a great time, this production will raise further awareness of our organization and the work we do,?? says Rains. ??My sister, Barb, knows firsthand what it??s like to lose a child to cancer [Jochens??s youngest daughter, Anne, was the inspiration for Rainbows, and lost her battle to cancer in 2004]. I am so proud of her for coming up with this great idea and honoring Annie??s memory with this play. Barb is an amazingly talented person, and it is great she is using her own talents to help the children.
??And Annie would have been the first one to sign up for the play!??
P.O. Box #260027
St. Louis, MO 63123
(314)-842-9724
A 501(c)(3) Charity
Rainbows For Kids is a 501 (c) (3) Charity dedicated to helping families of children with cancer (and other serious illness.) It was started in 2000 after a family saw first hand how devastating a cancer diagnosis can be in a child. Their dedication to Annie, who was six years old when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, led them to put on a party at Cardinal Glennon Hospital at the Bob Costas Cancer Center. It was so much fun that they decided to incorporate into a charity so they could do more, and with great community support it has grown beyond their beliefs.
Besides the many parties and events we sponsor for the children and their families, Rainbows supports several free camps involved with childhood cancer. One is Camp Rainbow, a free camp for children with cancer because she loved it so much and it meant so much to her. Another charity we support is Basket of Hope, who distributes baskets to newly diagnosed families. They knocked on Annie's door and we've been a fan of theirs ever since.
We produced a video which is given away to newly diagnosed patients and their families. Once Annie passed away, Camp Courage offered a free camp for her grieving sisters and stepbrothers and we appreciate them also.
Annie passed away four years ago, and since then so many new treatments and cures are being discovered every day that we want to always give out the message of hope. We never gave up on her and we aren't giving up on the kids we work with. There is always hope, miracles happen every day and so do new cures.
Once a child or a person of any age, is diagnosed with a disease, we feel it is very important to remain steadfast with optimism. Do not let any negativity in. Have faith in God and in the medical profession---and continue living your life! . Studies have shown that the right attitude can really have a lot to say about the way a disease will go.
We feel that by giving these kids parties and activities to look forward to in the midst of all this seriousness, we are providing the families with a positive outlook. We also strive to motivate and inspire the parents not to get lost in the heartbreak of the diagnosis and stresses of the disease. We encourage them to continue living their life and make time for fun.
Rainbows For Kids has three areas we focus on: entertaining the kids and families, donating to cancer related charities (including research) and our Rainbow Prayer Chain, where volunteers pray for those who need prayers.