This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Dandelion Seed
AUGUST 7 – 25, 2024
Based on the book by Joseph P. Anthony and Cris Arbo
Written by Jim Hibbeler
Original music by Nate Rowan
New music by Matt Ouren
Directed by Melanie Salmon-Peterson
RECOMMENDED FOR: Ages 0-5
SHOW RUN TIME: 40-45 minutes
LOCATION: Jaycees Studio Theatre
Theatre For The Very Young is created for our youngest patrons aged 0-5.
CAST | CREATIVE TEAM
Bring your young ones to explore a theatrical adventure created just for them!
Theatre for the Very Young began its life at Stages 10 years ago with The Dandelion Seed and we’re celebrating how far we’ve come by bringing it back! One tiny dandelion seed is happy in its cozy home until a wind carries it away. It worries that it won’t be able to find its place in such a big, scary world but the seed finds that everything is more beautiful than it could have imagined. Perhaps change isn’t so bad after all.
CAST | CREATIVE TEAM
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Accessibility
We believe that every individual should be able to access the joy, wonder, and benefits of participation in the theatre arts.
VIDEOS
PHOTOS
Photos by Amy Rondeau Photography
The Cast
The Creative Team + Crew
Check back closer to Opening Day for a complete list! ARTISTIC DIRECTOR - Sandy Boren-Barrett DIRECTOR - Melanie Salmon-Peterson ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - Megan Collins FIRST JOB IN THE ARTS DIRECTING MENTEE - Demitrius Winegarden DIRECTING INTERN - Alanna Nyberg ORIGINAL COMPOSER - Nathan Eliot Rowan COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER - Matt Ouren BIPOC SOUND DESIGN MENTEE - Alec Newhouse LIGHTING DESIGNER - Sarah Brandner SET DESIGNER & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR - Jim Hibbeler COSTUME & MAKE UP DESIGNER - Stacey Palmer COSTUME ASSISTANT - Kayla Mielke PROPS DESIGNER - Yvonne Ring WARDROBE SUPERVISOR - Christa Ludwig PRODUCTION MANAGER - Melanie Salmon-Peterson STAGE MANAGER - Clare Judge STAGE MANAGER - Kallie Jo Ascheman FIRST JOB IN THE ARTS STAGE MANAGEMENT MENTEE - Abbi Wood ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER - Tiahna Wolfe-Shields RUN CREW - Frances Olsen Biebighauser TECHNICAL INTERN - Haley Nielsen SCENIC ARTIST - Cinde Ashley, Yvonne Ring ELECTRICIANS - Justin Sharbono VOLUNTEERS - Jeff Aune, Jenny Brown, Scott Brown, Warren Glidden, Ron Kline, Donna Meyer, Penny Nowak, Michael Remucal, Mariann Wolf
Creative Team Bios
MELANIE SALMON-PETERSON (DIRECTOR) - AT STC: Recent credits include: The Day You Begin, Galactic Wonders, Raymie Nigthingale, What Do You Do With An Idea?, Leo Lionni’s Inch by Inch, The Most Magnificent Thing, Stone Soup, Swimmy, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Bear Snores On, and at FAIR School Crystal James & the Giant Peach Jr & Lion King Jr.” Favorite Play or Musical at STC: Favorite I cannot pick, but several are special to me for a variety of reasons – Stone Soup for its dedication to community service and the wonderful opportunity to perform a the Ivey Awards. Swimmy-stunning design work and a wonderful ensemble with which to create, Dandelion Seed as our first TFVY, working with Jim & Nate & Abbee to create it; Zen Shorts for its zen-like process, so peaceful and beautiful to work on; Edward Tulane for its visual beauty; How I Became a Pirate – both here and on the tour to Bath, England; You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, beautiful, entertaining and so much talent. Wow, I better stop now. I could go on.
MELANIE SALMON-PETERSON (DIRECTOR) - AT STC: Recent credits include: The Day You Begin, Galactic Wonders, Raymie Nigthingale, What Do You Do With An Idea?, Leo Lionni’s Inch by Inch, The Most Magnificent Thing, Stone Soup, Swimmy, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Bear Snores On, and at FAIR School Crystal James & the Giant Peach Jr & Lion King Jr.” Favorite Play or Musical at STC: Favorite I cannot pick, but several are special to me for a variety of reasons – Stone Soup for its dedication to community service and the wonderful opportunity to perform a the Ivey Awards. Swimmy-stunning design work and a wonderful ensemble with which to create, Dandelion Seed as our first TFVY, working with Jim & Nate & Abbee to create it; Zen Shorts for its zen-like process, so peaceful and beautiful to work on; Edward Tulane for its visual beauty; How I Became a Pirate – both here and on the tour to Bath, England; You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, beautiful, entertaining and so much talent. Wow, I better stop now. I could go on.
MATT OUREN (COMPOSER) - Matt is a Stages Theatre Company Creative Play Academy and Conservatory teacher and appears regularly on our mainstage. He's been in Spookley the Square Pumpkins THREE times and he's appeared in and composed the music for our Theatre for the Very Young Production of Leo Lionni’s Inch by Inch. Other credits include: Tuck Everlasting, TYA, Fish in a Tree, The Nightingale, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Shrek The Musical, and many more.
MATT OUREN (COMPOSER) - Matt is a Stages Theatre Company Creative Play Academy and Conservatory teacher and appears regularly on our mainstage. He's been in Spookley the Square Pumpkins THREE times and he's appeared in and composed the music for our Theatre for the Very Young Production of Leo Lionni’s Inch by Inch. Other credits include: Tuck Everlasting, TYA, Fish in a Tree, The Nightingale, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Shrek The Musical, and many more.
JIM HIBBELER (WRITER) - Jim Hibbeler is the Technical Director for Stages Theatre Company. When Jim is not busy building sets, props or designing video, he delights in writing scripts. For Stages, Jim has been the playwright for Alice in Wonderland, Theatre for the Very Young productions of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, On the Railroad, the first adaptation of The Dandelion Seed and most recently, Galactic Wonders. During the pandemic Jim also wrote, edited and created puzzle experiences for Enchanted Mystery: a Detect the story adventure and Detect the story: Mythical, which were video based presentations unlocked by solving puzzles.
JIM HIBBELER (WRITER) - Jim Hibbeler is the Technical Director for Stages Theatre Company. When Jim is not busy building sets, props or designing video, he delights in writing scripts. For Stages, Jim has been the playwright for Alice in Wonderland, Theatre for the Very Young productions of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, On the Railroad, the first adaptation of The Dandelion Seed and most recently, Galactic Wonders. During the pandemic Jim also wrote, edited and created puzzle experiences for Enchanted Mystery: a Detect the story adventure and Detect the story: Mythical, which were video based presentations unlocked by solving puzzles.
NATHAN ELIOT ROWAN (ORIGINAL COMPOSER) -We were delighted to have Nate Rowan as an original collaborator on the song “Don’t Be Afraid” for the first production of The Dandelion Seed in 2014. Nate was always excited to collaborate with Stages Theatre, a place where he realized his rare condition of "Reverse Stage Fright" (RSF). When "places" was called and the lights go down, a pungent calm wafted over him and he became completely engaged in the action, character and narrative at hand. Past STC credits on stage and off include: On The Railroad, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Click Clack Moo, House at Pooh Corner, The Tale of Peter Rabbit and so many more! Besides his performative prowess, Nathan could be found parenting a baby human, and was a successful recording artist with many albums including his 2014 album Universe in Me. We dedicate this performance to Nate Rowan “for being a guiding light in the dark.” Nate Rowan (1983 – 2021)
NATHAN ELIOT ROWAN (ORIGINAL COMPOSER) -We were delighted to have Nate Rowan as an original collaborator on the song “Don’t Be Afraid” for the first production of The Dandelion Seed in 2014. Nate was always excited to collaborate with Stages Theatre, a place where he realized his rare condition of "Reverse Stage Fright" (RSF). When "places" was called and the lights go down, a pungent calm wafted over him and he became completely engaged in the action, character and narrative at hand. Past STC credits on stage and off include: On The Railroad, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Click Clack Moo, House at Pooh Corner, The Tale of Peter Rabbit and so many more! Besides his performative prowess, Nathan could be found parenting a baby human, and was a successful recording artist with many albums including his 2014 album Universe in Me. We dedicate this performance to Nate Rowan “for being a guiding light in the dark.” Nate Rowan (1983 – 2021)
