Afternoon of the Elves

Afternoon of the Elves
Adapted by Y York
Based on the book by Janet Taylor Lisle
Directed by Linda Hartzell
FEB 9 - MAR 25
Ages 8+ - Grades 3+
Charlotte Martin Theatre


SYNOPSIS
SCT presents the Windmill Performing Arts production of Afternoon of the Elves

Hillary, Alison, and Jane are three best friends who do everything together and everything the same. As the girls plan their next way to become famous, Sara Kate Connelly says she needs to talk to Hillary, in private. Sara Kate is weird. She doesn’t dress right, and she doesn’t do her hair right. But Sara Kate is Hillary’s backyard neighbor and really needs to tell her something. Hillary agrees to talk with her because at least that will make her go away. She isn’t prepared for Sara Kate’s big news, though. Sara Kate tells her that she has elves living in her backyard. She’s seen their village, and she wants to show it to Hillary. Of course, Hillary’s parents, being fastidious suburbanites, worry about the state of Sara Kate’s house and yard. Hillary is determined to visit the village. And there, in the midst of the mess of the Connelly backyard is an orderly, tidy little elf village with houses, lanes, and even a well. It’s a real neighborhood! At first, Hillary is skeptical, how does she know elves really built all this? But Sara Kate makes a lot of sense with her explanations, and Hillary begins to feel the presence of the elves around her. The girls laugh and play, until Hillary notices a figure in an upstairs window.

Even after Alison and Jane make fun of her for believing in elves, Hillary still returns to help Sara Kate keep the village in order. It is on one such afternoon that Hillary gets a glimpse of Sara Kate’s real life—Sara Kate has to go all the way into the city by herself to run errands for her mother. Hillary’s parents would never let her do that. The lessons Hillary learns from Sara Kate—how to keep your electricity turned on, where to get free water, how to get phone service—make Hillary’s parents uncomfortable, and they ask her to stop spending time with the neighbor girl. But Hillary realizes how lucky she is, not having to worry about things like grocery shopping, getting medicine, or fixing stopped up toilets; and she realizes that not all little girls are as lucky as she is. And this dawning insight is making her see Alison and Jane in a new, and unflattering, light.

After Sara Kate misses a few days of school, Hillary becomes worried and goes to check on things. This is the first time she’s been inside the Connelly home, and the first time she sees Sara Kate with her sick mother. Sara Kate throws Hillary out, after exacting a promise of silence; Hillary can’t even tell her parents what’s going on. With the weight of this secret on her young shoulders, Hillary finally really gets it—Sara Kate has to take care of herself and her mother, all alone. When Hillary’s mom comes looking for her, she too sees what has been happening in the Connelly house and takes control of the situation. With Sara Kate’s mother sent to a hospital and herself being shipped off to her father, all that Sara Kate feared, all that she worked so hard to prevent, is coming true. These two brave, young girls learn that every child needs an adult to look after them, and they all deserve the comfort and safety of home.



Venue: Seattle Children's TheatreStarts: 2007-02-09 23:59:00Ends: 2007-02-09 13:32:00Cost: