‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ April 14-15
‘Cross’ing up Farragut theater with creation of The Palace Players
The group will hold its first production, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew,” at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., Friday, April 14, and 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., Saturday, April 15, in The Historic Grove Theater, 123 Randolph Road, Oak Ridge. Tickets are $12
Cross explained The Palace Players is a local, non-profit theater group consisting of teens and members in their 20s.
“Our goal is to connect with the community and put on quality theater productions to encourage the youth and young adults in the community to use their skills and talents and thrive in what they are made to do,” she added. “We also want to inspire and challenge local audiences with new themes and cool stories that can really leave them with a message.”
About holding it in Oak Ridge, Cross noted the lack of theater venues in Farragut.
“Eventually, I would love to find a theater here, right in Farragut,” she said. “There is a cool ministry over there called High Places Community Church, and they own The Historic Grove Theater. They let others in the community come in and use it for free with a donation.”
The production is the first story of “The Chronicles of Narnia,” she said, noting it is the prequel to “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
Tickets can be purchased online at thepalaceplayers.com. More information also can be found @ThePalacePlayers on Instagram and Facebook.
Cross, who was home-schooled, said she always “loved storytelling through the arts, every since I was a little kid.
“Singing, dancing and acting have been large parts of my life,” she added. “I never wanted to give it up, (and) my parents were great in encouraging me to pursue those things.”
Along with her entrepreneurial endeavors with the theater group, Cross also is a musician and has been writing her own musical, an adaptation about the Biblical Book of Esther, for the past year.
But, in order to get her own musical going, “I was going to have to start somewhere,” she said. “That’s where ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ came in because I love the Narnia stories and how they are just so exciting and take you on really cool, fantastic adventures, and they have heart to them.
“They can learn something and they can leave, feeling uplifted,” Cross added. “I think it’s not always super heroes saving the story. It’s oftentimes children who come in and save the day, and the under dog rises.”
To support the show, “We also have some community partners who have been helpful,” she said. They include Kris Cascarelli, who is volunteering to man and build sets, Doorbell Real Estate East Tennessee, Fig & Company and other local businesses.
Having taught theater before, Cross said she hopes to bring back the workshops this summer, and more productions this fall.
