43
Wolf trial entertains at Boardman library
Photo
Neighbors | Sarah Foor .n the trial of Little Red Riding Hood versus A. Wolf, tough questions were asked about the character of both sides of the imaginary lawsuit. Prosecuting lawyer Kevin Shannon (left) asked Little Red's mother, Scarlet Hood (Monica Beasley-Martin) if her daughter was a "good girl," pointing out that she rarely follows directions.
Photo
Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Little Red Riding Hood (right), Deborah Shannon (right), and Little Bo Peep, Miranda Delapa (center) talked to one of their biggest fans right after their show.
Photo
Neighbors | Sarah Foor .A. Wolf's mother, Lila (Ella George) fiercely defended her little wolf when his character was called into question.
By SARAH FOOR
On June 29, a grandmother went missing at the Boardman library. Under the direction of the Youngstown Playhouse Youth Theater, the search for Granny Hood was shown through the trial of Little Red Riding Hood vs. A. Wolf, and the theater invited the audience to be the jury in ongoing saga.
The show, titled “Guilty or Not Guilty,” featured local actors and actresses who have been rehearsing since May for the show’s summer tour, through late June and early August.
Director Becca Kopchak hoped that the show at the library was inspirational in more ways than one.
“We hear from parents and kids that it’s great to see our cast bringing the show to life, and their ages aren’t different than most of the audience. We love that it encourages kids to join us and try out their acting,” the director noted.
“It’s also important that we inspire kids to read. Our productions are often based on popular children’s books that we explore further,” Kopchak added.
“Guilty or Not Guilty” explored the trial between A. Wolf and Little Red. Evidence for the prosecution welcomed well-known characters like Peter from “Peter and the Wolf,” the oldest brother from “The 3 Little Pigs,” and the boy who cried Wolf, who all claimed they were harassed by A. Wolf in the past. The much-maligned Wolf’s defense was that no one saw him commit any of his crimes.
With a surprised gasp from the jury and courtroom, Granny Hood ended the trial by showing up and explaining that she had spend a few weeks at the North Pole. Little Red apologized for the misunderstanding and the show ended with a hug between the former foes. Judge Carla Gipson told A. Wolf that he was free to go, but gave one last ruling to the audience before they left.
“I sentence you to a lifetime of reading at your local library branch. Court is now adjourned!”