By Luis Enrique Cisneros Pito
Arts and Entertainment Editor
luis.cisnerospito5406@mb.rctc.edu
Jerry Casper, writer and director of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” leads the cast during rehearsal. The play opens with two performances on Saturday, Oct. 29, followed by another showing on Saturday, Nov. 5. Admission is free with your student ID. (Echo Photo by Luis Enrique Cisneros Pito)
Get your best outfit on and get ready for a show with a wardrobe bigger than life.
Rochester Community and Technical College will be presenting a twist on Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” While watching this play, written and directed by RCTC’s theatrical mastermind Jerry Casper, students can look forward to a show with more than just crazy costumes.
Travel with an open mind and heart to the Castle of Somewhere. There you will find an eccentric cast of characters and see their outlandish sets and costumes.
“Look forward to an Alice in Wonderland kind of feel,” said Reba Landers, who plays the empress. “It’s a very fantasy world with normal people getting thrown into it. The entire show is them just realizing how bizarre everything is.”
Landers is a returning actress to the RCTC Theater Department. “The Emperors New Clothes” is her fourth RCTC show.
This play is a unique experience for her because it is so off the wall. Expect to fall through a looking glass where fashion is life. Costumes, an integral part of the show, are made by the theater’s costume designer and creator Donna Fisher.
“Think the Wizard of Oz, bright and very colorful,” Fisher said.
The audience should be ready to see some interesting combinations of glitz and glam.
The show starts 2 p.m. matinee on Oct. 29, followed by a 7 p.m. performance. Another showing will be 2 p.m. Nov. 5.
RCTC students can come free with a student ID, but general audience can purchase tickets at the ticket booth $5 for adults and $3 for children and senior citizens.
Come with an open mind and open heart, and prepare to laugh at the crazy cast of the kingdom of Nowhere.
“Don’t think that what you seen in the past at your high school or community theater is what your going to see here, because we take it up a notch,” Casper said. “That doesn’t mean every actor is a experienced professional actor but our approach is very professional, and our expectations are working up to a level that audience can enjoy.”