Coastal Bend College presents Once Upon a Mattress

 Coastal Bend College drama and music departments and Beeville Community Performing Arts Project presents the Broadway musical comedy, Once Upon a Mattress, on April 28, 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 1 at 3 p.m. Performances will be in the Gertrude R. Jones Auditorium in Beeville. 

 Tickets go on sale on April 4.  Patrons may call (361) 354-2545; drop by the theater box office at the college; or purchase tickets online at http://www.coastalbend.edu. Tickets are $12 for adults (twelve years of age and older) and $6 for children and students, including current Coastal Bend College students with college ID.  

 Once Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers; lyrics by Marshall Barer; and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959 and moved to Broadway within the year. The play toured the U.S and London. The play was written as an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairytale The Princess and the Pea.

 A fictional medieval kingdom is ruled by the devious Queen Aggravain and the mute King Sextimus the Silent. No one, throughout the land, may wed until Prince Dauntless the Drab shares his wedding bed, however, every petitioning princess is sent away after failing the Queen’s unfair tests. It seems that no one is good enough to marry Prince Dauntless. No one until now…

 Phyllis Garcia is the stage director for this season’s performance of Once Upon a Mattress. Mary Joy is the assistant director and stage manager. Dr. James Lee is the musical director. And Gene Stephenson is the orchestra director. Kelly Canales and Jose Garcia Jr. are student assistants to the directors. The set builder is Vicente Barrera. Student helpers with sound and lights are Ethan Borroum, Amber Lidy and Rafael Gomez.  Vanessa Clark and Marsha Vaugham are in charge of makeup and costumes.

 The cast of Once Upon a Mattress follows.

Princess Winnifred the Woebegone: Yvonne Alaniz

Prince Dauntless: Stephen Flora

King Sextimus the Silent: Matt Wagner

Queen Aggravain: Daphne Garcia

Jester: Clarissa Garcia

Sir Harry: Richard Solis

Lady Larken: Stacy Stevenson

Minstrel: Sarah Anderson

Wizard: Monzelle White

Nightingale of Smarkand: Kathleen Chambless

Sir Studley: Ricky Cardwell

Lady Rowena: Kelly Canales

Lady Mabelle: Lizette Segovia

Lady Lucille: Serena Mann

Lady Merril: Colette Magyer

Lady Beatrice/Luce’s Lady/2^nd and 3^rd Lady: Samantha Sanchez

Princess No. 12/Lady H/1^st Lady: Brittani Wade

Knight 2/Harold/Luce/Omnes: Nick Saenz

Knight 1: Brandon Alaverez

Knight 3: Jacob Garcia

Knight: Josh Rodriguez

Ladies-in-Waiting: Tamicka Tucker, Kathleen Chambless

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