Reclaim Arts alums create fairytale musical to put academy in spotlight
Ella Plante (left), Sophia Mills, and Hannah Chandler wrote and produced the musical ‘The Princess and The Shoemaker,’ which is on stage June 27-28 at First Baptist Church of Marble Falls. The three are former students of the church’s Reclaim Arts Academy. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Three former students of Reclaim Arts Academy are taking a summer break from college to stage their original musical, “The Princess and The Shoemaker.” The fairytale production is on stage Friday and Saturday, June 27 and 28, at First Baptist Church of Marble Falls.
The young playwrights put pen to paper to raise awareness for the programs offered at the Marble Falls church’s creative arts school, boost its scholarship fund, and foster future generations of Highland Lakes thespians.
Twenty-year-old Hannah Chandler and 19-year-old Sophia Mills and Ella Plante all attended Reclaim Arts Academy in middle school and high school, forming a tight bond that extended beyond their respective graduations from homeschool, Marble Falls High School, and Faith Academy of Marble Falls.
“I think Reclaim has been a massive part of each of our lives,” Chandler told DailyTrib.com as the trio was amid production work leading up to opening night. “My whole hope is that the kids that come up through this program will see what we have done and want to give back to Reclaim in a way that is their own, and they will write a show for their up-and-coming generation.”
Reclaim Arts Academy is a self-funded branch of First Baptist Church that offers classes and programs in theater, dance, music, painting, photography, and mixed media. Proceeds from “The Princess and The Shoemaker” will go toward scholarships for students in need.
Performances of the musical are 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday at the church, 901 La Ventana Drive in Marble Falls. Admission is $10 for ages 4 and older and free to kids 3 and younger. Tickets may be purchased online or at the door.
ABOUT THE PLAY
“Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess, her five little sisters, a young shoemaker, a trio of benevolent elves, and a meddling imp … this is the story of how an unlikely romance bloomed despite all odds,” reads the description of “The Princess and The Shoemaker,” a production that “embodies childhood whimsy” and “reveals how love and benevolence triumph over all.”
It pulls from the classic fairytales of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” “The Red Shoes,” and “The Elves and the Shoemaker.”
The 13 cast members are mostly current and former students of Reclaim Arts.
Chandler, Mills, and Plante concocted the musical over Spring Break during a five-hour, caffeine-fueled brainstorming session at Numinous Coffee Roasters in Marble Falls.
Chandler lent her prowess as a music major, currently attending Oklahoma Baptist University; Plante her skills as a theater major at Texas Christian University; and Mills her pen as an English major attending the University of Texas at Austin. The three split production duties evenly, creating “The Princess and The Shoemaker” from scratch. Their hope is Reclaim Arts Academy can later license the play out to other theater groups and raise even more money for scholarships.
“Its very humbling. I’m just really blown away,” said an emotional Amy Stubblefield, the academy’s musical theater director. “I have poured a lot of love into these three, and it’s maybe one of the most fulfilling things I’ve experienced in my life to watch them use what they’ve learned from us and create something of their own.”