Oct. 23-26, Pitt State’s theater had its opening night for “The Little Prince” at the Bicknell Center for the Arts, directed by Dr. Megan Westhoff. The production was the first show of the year.
Sydney Patterson, a sophomore theater major, played the main character, the little prince himself, bringing out the childlike and curious nature of the prince to their version of the character. In the play, the little prince is constantly telling stories and talking to the aviator, played by Keller Erwin, a junior elementary education major. With animated movement and dramatic acting, Patterson brought a different feeling to the little prince that was unlike the calm melancholic version portrayed in the book.
“I did not expect to get the little prince at all,” Patterson said. “I actually specifically said, ‘maybe not a big role,’ but Megan (Westhoff) talked to me afterwards and we worked out that it would be okay if I did the little prince. I was super excited about it.”
Easton King, a senior theater major, played the fox, the little prince’s wise and funny companion after he is tamed.
“I love the fox. He’s so funny.” King said.
King said time flew by with only two months to prepare the play.
“It’s flown by,” King said. “I mean, like, I can still remember auditioning. I don’t know. It seems like literally last week. It’s felt really fast, but I love seeing it all together. My favorite day was coming in and seeing the set finally done. I love it. And seeing everyone in their costumes has been really fun.”
The stage set as a sandy Sahara Desert, completely barren other than the crashed ship of the aviator. They also placed the little prince’s planet in view, a stark purple with craters and sprouting baobab trees. Scenes can switch back and forth between the little prince’s planet and the desert where the aviator draws him pictures.
Westhoff said that in a practice performance for fourth and fifth graders, a bathroom break was added.
“The show doesn’t have an intermission in it,” Westhoff said. “We’re doing it in 80 minutes. But we did an intermission for the kids, for bathroom break to get the wiggles out.”
Westhoff said it was meaningful when one of the elementary students was upset that the performance was over sooner than they would have liked.
“One little boy turned and he goes, ‘You’re telling me it’s over at this point? I’m so upset.’ And so, all of those things are just so meaningful.”