Published: November 18, 2009 12:11 pm      

'The Phantom Tollbooth' coming to life at NCTC

“Welcome to Expectations”—so begins the ingenious tale of The Phantom Tollbooth, the classic children’s fantasy tale being brought to life onstage by the North Central Texas Drama Department beginning November 21.

This stage adaptation adaptation by Susan Nanus of the children’s classic book by Norton Juster tells the story of a 10-year-old boy who drives his toy car through a magic tollbooth into a fantasy kingdom where he learns many valuable lessons.

Performances of the family play are November 21 at 7:30 p.m. and November 22 at 2:30 p.m. on the main stage of the First State Bank Center for the Performing Arts (FSB Center) on the NCTC Gainesville Campus.

According to director Arturo Garcia, another long afternoon for a bored little boy named Milo becomes a delightful adventure through the Kingdom of Wisdom. “I do hope this is an interesting game,” he says, “otherwise the afternoon will be so terribly dull."

Milo embarks on a journey to strange lands (Dictionopolis and Digitopolis), meets the strangest characters and has even stranger adventures. Accompanied by a watchdog named Tock and the ever-grumpy Humbug, Milo sets out on a quest for Rhyme and Reason, hoping to settle the war between words and numbers along the way.

“It’s an enchanting tale that celebrates the value of learning,” said Garcia. In the lands beyond the Phantom Tollbooth, Milo and his companions encounter a host of other strange and wonderful characters brought to life by the cast of 24 adult and youth actors.

This lively production features set and light designs by Dan Doss and costume designs by Karyn Sawers. Working backstage on this production are NCTC students Nate Eaton, Casey Fain, Ashley Page, Karibeth Page and the NCTC Drama Practicum and Stagecraft classes.

The cast of community members includes Priyanka Bhakta, Pamela Boeko, Ajazzalynne Carr, Jeff Cuellar, Philip Cuellar, Cody Denison, Abigal Hearell, Hayley Henry, Alex Knight, Aaron Krewson, Tori Mask, Jordan Moore, Krupa Patel, Daniel Sawers, Thom Talbott, Brittney Vanderford, Danielle Vanderford and Leanna Vanderford, all from Gainesville; Ian Enderby and Jillian Enderby from Lake Kiowa; Issac Wood from Valley View; and Rachel Jonas, Kortnie Paine and Camden Riefler from Sanger.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for those high school or younger and free for NCTC students with an ID. Call the FSB Center box office at 940-668-3355 for reservations.

Group Rates are available for groups of more than 10. The box office is open Monday–Friday from 1–6 p.m.

For more information about this production or about the drama program at NCTC, go online to www.nctc.edu/drama or become a fan of NCTC Drama on Facebook.