If You Were King for a Day: Would Yours Be a Tale of Honor?
Travels to Ancient India — a Land of Honor, Danger and the Magic of Talking Animals— Begin at Children’s Theatre Company

MINNEAPOLIS—You’ve wagered a bet. The stakes are high. The roll of the dice is all that lies between precious fortune and forfeiting your life to the ownership of a powerful king. As young Tamar, the central character of Children’s Theatre Company’s (CTC) production of The Iron Ring learns, honor holds more weight than, perhaps, one man alone can carry. 

So starts the stage adaptation of Lloyd Alexander’s fascinating adventure set deep in ancient India. In a quest to honor his debt to the powerful King Jaya, Tamar, the young king of Sundari who was born to the warrior caste, sets out to repay his debt and save his soul.  Along the way, he is joined by a cast of comic characters—a mischievous monkey who finds himself wrapped in danger, an overgrown bird (of sorts) that has lost its memory—and the lovely, but courageous Mirri, a love interest to which young Tamar is oblivious.

Joined by the beautiful artistry of Ragamala Dance and the work of acclaimed Twin Cities’ choreographer Ranee Ramaswamy, The Iron Ring is an epic tale infused with humor and the fascinating movements of Bharatanatyam dance, a 2,000 year-old dance form originating in India.

“Ranee introduced me to The Iron Ring and this has been an amazing partnership. She brings a deep love of storytelling, and the Ragamala dancers are so exquisitely talented,” says Peter C. Brosius, artistic director for CTC and director of The Iron Ring.  “I am dazzled by the dance form: its fierceness, delicacy and precision.”

The Iron Ring is based on Lloyd Alexander’s book by the same name and adapted for stage by Charles Way.  Music composition is by Victor Zupanc; costume design is by Mary Anna Culligan; and lighting design is by Rebecca Fuller Jensen.

A cast of 14 includes five Ragamala dancers (Ashwini Ramaswamy, Tamara Nadel, Alison Kirwin, Amanda Dlouhy and Bria Borcherding), guest actor Ansa Akyea (King Jaya), four CTC performing apprentices and company members Reed Sigmund (Tamar), Gerald Drake (Rajaswami), Autumn Ness (Queen Shila Rani and Garunda) and Dean Holt (Hashkar, the monkey). 
     
The Iron Ring opens Fri., March 12 (previews begin Tues., March 9), and runs through April 10, 2010. Tickets range from $26–$40 for adults and $16–$25 for children (17 & under), students and seniors. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact CTC by calling (612) 874-0400 or by visiting www.childrenstheatre.org.

Also, upcoming this season: the action-packed musical about a young warrior princess, Disney’s Mulan, Jr., and The Biggest Little House in the Forest, a heartwarming and adorable tale for preschool children told through the magic of one talented woman and her delightful puppet friends. Both productions run April 27 through mid-June, with tickets currently on sale.

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is the first theatre for young people to win the coveted Tony® Award for Outstanding Regional Theater (2003). Founded in 1965, CTC serves more than 300,000 people annually and is one of the 20 largest theater companies in the nation. CTC is noted for defining worldwide standards for youth theatre with an innovative mix of classic tales, celebrated international productions and challenging new work.
                                           

 All information and images courtesy and copyright CTC.