VERGENNES — The Ferrisburgh Children’s Theater cast of 30 students will present “Wagon Wheels a-Rollin’” by Tim Kelly at the Vergennes Union High School auditorium on Saturday, March 5. The performance begins at 7 p.m. Tickets, available at the door, are $6 for adults and $3 for children.
In this goofy Western, woe falls upon Chuck Wagon’s wagon train. They run aground at the notorious Whistling Skull Rock outside the tiny town of Vinegar Bottle, which happens to be crawling with villains and bandits. This story is a fast-paced spoof of the Old West and is filled with hilarious characters, including our trailblazin’ hero, Chuck Wagon; our sweet heroine, Candy Cane; and the villainous crooked card dealer, Smiling Slade Clagget.
The Ferrisburgh Children’s Theater, in its 16th year, is a 20-week after-school program for Ferrisburgh students in fifth and sixth grades. The primary goal of the program is to give young students a chance to experience the sense of self-confidence and joy that comes from working with a group of peers to put together a theatrical production.
The program includes playing drama games, learning basic acting skills, rehearsing the play and working on costuming, set design and construction, and prop making. The program is a volunteer effort and is funded through ticket sales, donations and generous grants from the Ferrisburgh Central School PTO, Neat Repeats in Middlebury and Sweet Charity in Vergennes.