Coming in April: “The Serpent Lady” — Entirely Produced by Students
The Department of Theatre’s Storefront Series is a unique pre-professional experience
Apr 03, 2025
Each season, North Central’s Storefront Series offers students the unique opportunity to propose, create and fully realize a production as part of the Department of Theatre mainstage season.
This year, that production is “The Serpent Lady,” by Carlo Gozzi and translated by Daniel Smith and Valentina Denzel. Performances will run April 24-27, 2025, in Madden Theatre.
Under the direction of Kelly Ahr ’25, student designers and actors have been working to create a world that melds puppetry, song, physical comedy, and dance while telling the tale of a fairy queen and her mortal husband, who must overcome numerous magical obstacles in order to be together.
"My favorite parts of the production are the musical moments that help propel the story along, and the organic comedic moments the cast has made that feel true to their characters,” said Ahr. “It is such a wonderful blend of the comedic and the tragic in a way that audiences of any age can find joy in. It offers just enough of the fantastical whimsy alongside real-life meaningful connection. I’m thrilled for the audience to get lost in the movement and magic of the show.”
Aidan McGuire ’26 served as lighting designer. A double major in directing as well as dramaturgy and theatrical design and technology, he described his experience with the show as "truly a collaborative effort.” He added, “I think the Storefront Series is one of the most compelling aspects of North Central’s theatre program. I am looking forward to seeing all of our designs come together and aid in the vision and execution of the show."
The scenic design was developed throughout a fall course taught by Brian Redfern, associate professor of theatre; coordinator of theatrical design and technology; and production manager-department of theatre.
Ashton Miller ’26, lead scenic designer, described the process: "Everyone designed their own set for this show, and it was very interesting to see how my classmates interpreted the script and designed for it. For some elements of my final set design, I took inspiration from my classmates. After the class was over and I was picked to be the scenic designer for the show, I already had a basic set made, which was a great starting point. I also knew there were things I wanted to change and improve, and I was happy to get the opportunity to do that. My final set design for the show is something that I have worked for a long time on and am very proud of."
Stage managed by Beatrice Harbaugh ’25 and assistant stage managed by Luca Brown ’28, the student design team also includes Oran Wilkins ’28 on props, Marc Loftus ’25 on costumes, Sara Bendel ’25 on make-up and hair, and Gaby Sorrentino ’25 on sound.
The ensemble cast features Jaydon Brown ’25, Megan Jaax ’26, Josette Falzone ’27, Ryan Castiglia ’26, Lily Barger ’26, Marisa Blomberg ’26, Sara Bendel ’25, Grace Rolston ’28, Chloe Ossmann ’26, Blessed Fabellon ’28, and Madeline Cuttle ’26.
“The Serpent Lady” concludes the 2024-25 performing arts season for the Department of Theatre. Performances will be April 24, 25, and 26 at 7:30 p.m. and April 26 and 27 at 2:00 p.m.
See the full Fine and Performing Arts calendar of events.
