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Playhouse puts Big Bad Wolf on trial
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Little Bo Peep made an appearance at the trial, sharing that she didn't like A. Wolf because he's always scaring her sheep. Peep, or Miranda Delapa, stayed close to her sheep while defense attorney Lauren Delapa argued her case.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Chip Axman, a lumberjack and unofficial policeman around the home of Little Red, told the jury a story about what he saw the day Little Red's grandmother went missing. Axman was played by actor Brandon Martin.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .The courtroom was abuzz when Granny Hood, or Monica Beasley-Martin, returned and told her side of the story. Before she explained that she had jetted off to the South Pole for a few weeks, Granny Hood had to be sworn in by officer Lily Shannon (left).
By SARAH FOOR
On June 28, a grandmother went missing at the Austintown 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 Austintown 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!”