"Even as a young child, Chris has always been interested in acting and directing," says his mother Editha Dotson-Bowser, owner and instructor at the Huntsville Ice Skating School. "He loved to get the neighborhood kids together and put on little shows." These "shows" have now blossomed into full-blown children theatre productions that are rivaling the companies run by adults.
His parents have had a tremendous influence on Chris--not only their professional influence in producing ice shows for their school, but also in supporting Chris "hobby" of drama and turning part of their home into his theatre and allowing over 150 people to enter their house during performance times.
Everest Theatre, named for his neighborhood street, performs three shows a year at the theatre. Some of Chris's shows, which he directs, include:
Recently Chris has taken some of the theatre productions on the road adding many more performances of some shows. Chris says that one reason he started the theatre was because he wanted "to give young actors an opportunity to perform and gain experience in a relaxing, non-threatening atmosphere." You can contact Chris Bowser at everesttheatre4@yahoo.com or call at 256.880.1084 for information on auditions or current productions.
I recently caught one of his "road" productions of Jeannette Jaquish's "The Frog Prince and the Princess Brat" see photos This show is the familiar yet charming story of "a princess dropping her ball and promising 3 days to Frog to fetch it, being forced to keep her promise and becoming friends with the Frog." It's a classic fairy tale, so, of course, everyone lives happily ever after and yes--the princess kisses the frog!
When viewing "The Frog Prince...," I was immediately impressed with the professionalism of the production, the complex set, and the elaborate costumes. I wasn't expecting anything nearly as involved. The actors were young, enthusiastic and cast perfectly.
Chase King did an excellent and entertaining job of portraying the Frog, who explains his predicament to the audience: "I teased a frail old woman, begging on the road. I kicked her cane to make her fall and Poof!--I was a toad." Other performances that I found particularly entertaining were Cassandra Bowser's portrayal of the Queen, Spencer Alfson's nervous and condescending butler, Rebecca Brunty as the spoiled princess and Jeremy Woods as the tutor.
"The Frog Prince and the Princess Brat" photos
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