Children Of The Winter Kingdom presented by The Actors' Gang
The production tells the story of orphan twins Holly and Spruce who escape from a circus only to find themselves lost in the wintry forests of Glassenvale, an enchanted kingdom in turmoil. As they navigate this strange new world while evading an evil circus queen and her strongman accomplice, the twins encounter an array of extraordinary characters including a king and his dragon, a wild girl, a crow, a sorceress, and an ice spider. Through their adventures, Holly and Spruce not only help restore balance to the troubled kingdom but also discover the true meaning of friendship, family, and home.Artistic Director Tim Robbins said of the new work, "We are going to transport our audiences to a magical wintery world – filled with song, puppetry and the traditional theatrical wonder for which The Actors' Gang is known. As Holly and Spruce help the kingdom of Glassenvale find serenity and balance, they also find their way to friendship, family and what it takes to make a home."
The show represents a departure from The Actors' Gang's usual holiday tradition of variety shows featuring music and sketches. This year, Robbins approached Dugas and O'Donnell about creating something entirely new for the season. The creative team drew inspiration from classic literature and fairy tales, including Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield," Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland," and L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz." They also looked to Carlo Gozzi's "King Stag," which incorporates commedia dell'arte characters that The Actors' Gang uses in actor training, as well as more contemporary works like Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass" and classic Disney fairy tale films.
What makes this production particularly special is its commitment to respecting young audiences without pandering to them. Adam Dugas said, "I work with kids through The Actors' Gang's Education Department, and I hang out with nieces, nephews and best friends' kids. Kids are sharp, smart, aware, and open. I also remember what it felt like to be that age, what my favorite parts of these stores were."
The show features memorable characters including Zelda, an evil slumlord circus queen who serves as the production's villainess, along with a benevolent sorceress, a confidence-challenged king wandering the realm with his dragon partner, a wild girl of the woods, a kind crow, and a trio of characters called the Bonkers. Dugas says, "What emerged from the writing is something fresh and exciting, and definitely okay for kids (although maybe not the youngest). However, we are careful to not talk down to our youngest audiences."
The creators have carefully calibrated the show's tone to achieve what Dugas describes as "a place that is sincere, but not saccharine, and equal parts wide-eyed, sharp-edged and warm hearted." Drawing on his experience creating "Chaos & Candy," a series of holiday shows in New York, Dugas explains his philosophy: "When I made Chaos & Candy, a series of almost a decade of holiday shows in New York, one of the core values and purposes was to give Christmas back to the misfits, and to revel in what the true Winter Solstice season has always been: an explosion of light and hope and community at the literal darkest time of the year."
Co-author Mary Eileen O'Donnell said, "Similarly, I want this show to be a supernova of joy in the darkest time of the year. For people to come together from all over the city, to share space at night in a dark theater and (hopefully) leave beaming and filled with that always-promised, rarely delivered ecstatic warmth of the end-of-year holiday time."
Filled with music, puppetry, and theatrical wonder, "Children of the Winter Kingdom" offers audiences a holiday experience that feels both familiar and entirely fresh, without relying on traditional holiday imagery of elves, reindeer, or Santa Claus. Together Dugas and O'Donnell ask: "If you are in Los Angeles this December, please come to The Actors' Gang Theater in Culver City and experience it for yourself. We are going to bring every ounce of theatrical imagination and ingenuity we can muster to bring this alive!"
For a full list of all the holidays shows coming to the LA area, visit our Holiday Plays in LA page.