Act Out Theatre presents ‘Children of Eden’

The zebra will dance for joy. So will the fox, the monkey, the wolf, and Noah’s family, all of them glad to see the sun after the storm.

If you happen to see Act Out Theatre’s production of “Children of Eden” at the Pittston Amphitheatre this weekend, please note that the choreographer who taught them where to place their hooves or paws — or feet — is 13-year-old Emma Christianson of Wilkes-Barre.

” ‘Ain’t it Good’ is my favorite whole-cast number,” Emma said Tuesday in a telephone interview. “They’re all feeling happy and blessed that they’ve seen a new light.”

“Emma is very dedicated and very talented and super passionate about the art of dance,” said Act Out artistic director Dan Pittman, explaining Emma is the youngest choreographer he’s ever had design the dances for a show. “I knew she would be able to handle the project.”

“The show’s really coming together and the cast is really rising to the challenge of performing outside,” Pittman said, noting he sought an outdoor venue because of the coronavirus situation.

The shows are set for 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, and tickets must be purchased in advance by visiting actouttheatre.com or emailing [email protected]. Tickets are $15 each. They will not be sold at the door.

The cast has been rehearsing since June, Pittman said, adding, “the minute we went yellow (as far as counties reopening) we started back in person.”

Up to 75 people can attend each show this weekend at the Pittston Amphitheatre, where they will see a musical version of events from the Book of Genesis, starting with the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden in Act I and followed by the story of Noah and his family facing the flood in Act II.

At first, Emma expected to simply be the choreographer, but when a cast member dropped out, she stepped into the role of the dove, a bird who brings a branch to Noah’s ark, letting his family know the flood waters are receding.

She’s glad of the chance to dance with the cast.

“It makes it more fun, to be part of what I created,” said Emma, who is an eighth grade student at Solomon-Plains Junior High School and also studies dance — tap, ballet point, hip hop, jazz and lyrical, sometimes for three or four hours at a stretch — at Arabesque Academy of Dancing in Scranton and Moscow.

Some of her favorite roles for Act Out Theatre have been Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls” and Tom Thumb in “Barnum.”

As for “Children of Eden,” Pittman said, “It has not been easy but the cast and crew banded together to rehearse things safely and socially distanced … I’m lucky enough to have two very large parking lots (at the theater’s home location in Dunmore.)”

“Children of Eden has a beautiful score and teaches us to have strength within ourselves,” he added.

Erin McLaughlin from Sweet Valley, who portrays Eve and Noah’s wife, sees that strength as an expression of female empowerment.

“Something I’ve taken from this show was that women don’t always have to accept the role they are handed,” Erin was quoted in a news release. “Eve was not afraid to challenge the beliefs she was handed. She decided to be a free thinker and chose her own path, regardless of the consequences.”

Along with Erin and Emma, the cast includes Sarah Rose Pugliese of Wilkes-Barre Township, Alex Stasukinas of Plymouth, Anna Brennan of Dallas, Caelan Howe-Baden of Taylor, Max Snyder of Madison Township, Rocco Pugliese of Wilkes-Barre Township, Lorcan Baden of Taylor, Samantha Greenfield of Old Forge, Keely Zabresky of Bear Creek Township, James Louiso of Kingston, Chase Richmond of Throop, Zachary Schultz of Swoyersville, Bella Cerra of Scranton, Abigail Tirva of Wyoming, Ava Nitch of Scranton.