Marist Theatre Presents 'Haphazardly Ever After'

This year was the 50th anniversary of Marist Theatre’s annual Children's Theatre show, in which elementary schools from around the area take a field trip to Marist College’s Nelly Goletti theatre (located in the student center) to watch a family-friendly show featuring, and directed by, Marist College Students.

Marist Theatre put on Haphazardly Ever After, a show about a very dysfunctional royal family, and the king and queen’s desperate attempts to whip their kids into shape. An unprecedented 1,300 children came to see the show from November 10th to the 15th. Marist students who were in the show came out, in full costume, to greet the visiting elementary schools at the Donnelly parking lot and guide them to the theatre. Ethan Maslyn, (‘22) observed how the children acted around the cast, all of whom greeted the children in character. “Even as they were getting off the bus, some of them greeted me as if I was a real king! I, of course, bowed back at them.”

The show was double cast, so there were two actors for each role and there was a total of six shows for children. There were two additional shows the nights of November 8th and 9th that was exclusively for Marist students to attend. The show featured everything from magic potions and dragons to royal smartphones and a department store called the “Enchanted Depot.” Production Manager Anna Schelong (‘21) described why Children's Theatre is such an important part of the theatre season. “Children’s Theatre is my favorite show because it exposes kids to theatre at such a young age and opens their eyes to new opportunities.”

The show was directed by Michael Major, (‘21) who was inspired by the Children's Theatre shows he saw in Bridgeport, Connecticut as a youth. “Seeing those shows as a child is what made me want to get involved with theatre in the first place, so now, 15 years later, I felt there was no greater first show to direct than Haphazardly.” 

Cameron Britt (‘21) designed the set, and described what she was going for in terms of her design. “My goal was to create a simple yet recognizable set that went with the story.” The most extravagant set piece was the “Magic Mirror,” (pictured below). At around 9 feet tall, the mirror took a lot of time and effort to create, and the kids audibly gasped at the set piece every time it was flown down onto the stage. “The most challenging part,” Britt notes, “was definitely getting it all done in the time we have.” And with only about four and a half weeks, every member of the crew was working under a tight deadline.

For the second year in a row, the Children's Theatre show was a musical. That means that Major had to enlist the help of Isabella Sprague (‘22) and Devin Bartram (‘22) to be in charge of choreography and musical direction, respectively. While it was a challenge to teach so many students choreography, Sprague says that “the finished product made all of the long rehearsals worth it.” As well as choreography and musical direction, Sprague played Princess Cinnamon, and Bartram portrayed the narrator. 

The costumes were also extremely elaborate. Ashley Marcinek (‘22) was the costume designer, and, like others on the crew, noted how the show was especially challenging due to having two actors in each role. “I had to find creative ways to make the costumes fit and work for both casts while also staying within the budget.” While the time crunch and huge cast made the show a challenge, every element of production merged together to create a cohesive fairy tale and magical kingdom for the children to enjoy.

It is important to note that, for many of the children who came to see the show, Haphazardly Ever After may have been their first experience with theatre. Major hopes that the benefits of Children's Theatre will go beyond entertainment. “It was so fulfilling to see so many kids at our performances and it would make me so beyond happy if the show inspired any of them to get involved in theatre.”