C.S. Lewis' beloved tale of four children, a wardrobe and a magical land called Narnia has enjoyed bursts of popularity in the 60 years since it was originally published. The book has been fashioned into a TV series, big-screen adaptations and theater production, and yet the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre has found something new to bring to the story:

Puppets.

"We thought it would be a new thing, which fits with our educational outlook here. It gives the actors the opportunity to do something new," said Nicki Poer, director of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and also the director of education and outreach for the Civic Theatre.

The actors she is referring to are actually children between the age of nine and 18, as the Civic Youth Theatre is performing the play.

In Poer's production, youth actors dressed as wood nymphs and sprites can be seen onstage operating the large puppets.

"It's a different way of puppeteering as well," she said.

Besides the innovations in costuming and acting, the Civic Youth Theatre also has a unique interpretation of the set.

"We have a big multiplatform set," Poer said. "It's got at least 12 or so platforms, a long ramp in the back, the stone table, three different entrances on each side, stairs...it's conceptual."

Though she confesses that she didn't initially know what she wanted, she's impressed with the result.

"There are pieces of fabric that can be trees or snow and a gigantic painted background, and there is some magic with that," she said.

The crew operating the set is also made up entirely of youth.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Civic Auditorium, Kalamazoo March 5-14, times vary $6.50 kazoocivic.com, (269) 343-1313

"We had 183 youth audition, and we kept 31 onstage and 32 on our crew," Poer said. "The talent and the work ethic of the youth are amazing."

The Civic Youth Theatre performs three productions a year, and the Civic offers year-round educational classes and camps.

"The characters are written in a certain way and the youth develop their own take," Poer said. "It's a fun challenge [for them]. The way that we're doing things brings about looking about things in a different way but we're sticking to the story in a way that everyone knows and loves."

 

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