Article & Photos, Barbara Arnstein
The musical “How To Tame Your Dragon, Jr.”, was performed twice this past weekend in the newly renovated Carol Mongerson Theatre in Springville, NY. The cast consisted of students who took a six-week summer theatre course for younger children, connected with L’il S.L.A.M. (L’il is short for “little”, and S.L.A.M. stands for “Students Loving Art and Music”.) The performances were on Friday, August 14th, at 7pm and Saturday, August 15th, at 4pm, and the students’ enthusiasm, teamwork and talent made them very entertaining events. 
The plot of “How to Tame Your Dragon, Jr.” is based on the 2010 animated movie “How to Tame Your Dragon”, which was inspired by a book with the same title by British author Cressida Cowell. It’s all about Vikings and dragons who are always battling. The main character is a boy nicknamed Hiccup, whose father, Stoick, wants him to kill a dragon. Instead, he befriends one named Toothless, and becomes the first Viking to ride one. (Toothless actually has teeth, but, strangely, they’re retractable.) Eventually the Vikings learn that someone known as “The Red Death” is forcing dragons to fight, and after “Death” is defeated, the Vikings and dragons get along. All of the (mostly male) characters were played by girls. A major difference between the animated film and the musical is that onscreen the dragons (who act much like dogs) communicate only with actions and sounds, while onstage they use words (in their thoughts), which are heard by the audience, but not by the human characters.
Hiccup was played by Scarlett Wing, and Toothless by Evie Rosali. Astrid was played by Molly Brand, Stoick by Zoey Barone, Gobber (a Viking) by Rita Purdy, and The Red Death by Layla Randolph. The other dragons were played by Beatrice Demers, Marcella Demers and Violet Smith. Molly Logsdon and Ainsley Logsdon played Vikings, and (Viking) Recruits were played by Saoirse Walczak, Nova Cooper, and Adrian Wagner.
The director of “Dragon”, Sunny Griffith, is majoring in Musical Theatre at SUNY in Fredonia, and is set to get an BFA degree next Spring. “During rehearsals the kids were becoming friends, and helping each other, on and off stage”, she said. “Kids were able to be a part of the process of painting and making props. Crafting certain props nurtured their creativity.”
Fun Facts: The Carol Mongerson Theatre had a ribbon-cutting on August 6th to celebrate its renovation. One of the best improvements is that it now has permanent seating.