“HANSEL AND GRETEL” ENCHANTS YOUNG & OLD
AT TOWNGATE THEATRE

WHEELING, W.Va. (September 18, 2009)- -For more than 200 years, children around the world have been captivated by the story of brave siblings “Hansel and Gretel” and their adventures in the woods with fairies, gingerbread children and a house made of candy- not to mention their nail-biting battle with a child-devouring witch!

Young and old alike can once again enjoy this classic story where good triumphs over evil as Oglebay Institute’s Youth Ballet Company stages an adaptation of the “Hansel and Gretel” ballet.

As colorful and enchanting as the story itself, the ballet takes place for two shows only - 7 p.m. Sunday, October 11 and 7 p.m. Monday, October 12 at Towngate Theatre.

Retold and printed countless times, “Hansel and Gretel” has inspired operas, movies and ballets. It has also become a timeless tribute to the Brothers Grimm whose extraordinary creativity also produced “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Snow White,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Cinderella.”

“Almost everyone has heard the bedtime story of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ but few have seen the ballet” Oglebay Institute director of dance Cheryl Pompeo said. “Although it follows the traditional storyline, the ballet is a completely different experience from reading it in a book. The characters jump off the page to tell the story through expressive and dynamic music and dance.”

Principal dancers in the Oglebay Institute production include Adelaide Estep as Hansel, Lucy Hartzell as Gretel, Peter J. Lim as father, Vanessa Hotlosz as stepmother and Woodlin Nymph, Emilee Woodfin as the witch, Caroline Stephenson as the Sandman and Molly McKay as the Dew Drop Fairy.

Other cast members in the roles of birds, fairies, gingerbread kids, friends, angels and cherubs include: Jacie Baker, Alice Boos, Audrey Blust, Ally Carson, Veronica Chapman Casey, Jordan Crow, McKenna Dunbar, Shayna Fischer, Natalie Gainer, Sydney Glessner, Allison Irvin, Sarah Jones, Rebekah Jones, J’lyse Kafana, Lexie Kosanovic, Madeline Mandel, Morgan McCool, Marina McGinley, Lucretta Shumate, Kristina Slivchenko, Bailey Stephenson, Bethany Stephenson, Ava Tennant, Abby Thomas, Madeline Tiu, and Alexis Williams.

“Hansel and Gretel” is the first performance planned by the student dance company for 2009-2010. Oglebay Institute Youth Ballet Company will also present other dance shows this season including “The Nutcracker” to be performed during the holidays at the Mansion Museum, Towngate Theatre and the Capitol Theatre with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra.

To purchase tickets for “Hansel and Gretel,” please call the Stifel Fine Arts Center at 304.242.7700. Towngate Theatre is located at 2118 Market St. in Wheeling. Some tickets may be available at the door, and admission is $10.

This program is made possible through the generous support of the members of the Institute as well as with financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the WV Commission on the Arts.