Roney,+Andrea

  Children of Eden

**Book by John Caird Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz Based on a concept by Charles Lisanby  Orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin and Martin Erskine**
====      ==== ==== Children of Eden  is about parents and children: when to protect our children, and when to let them grow and take responsibility for their lives and actions. Entwined with the theme of responsibility is that of respect: of looking at each person as an individual and not labeling them by the actions of others. ==== ====<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Written by John Caird, best known for directing //Les Miserables,// and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, the creator of //Wicked, Godspell, Pippin,// and //Enchanted//, **//Eden//** will move you both in mind and in spirit. ==== ==== <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">North Penn High School Theatre will proudly present **//Children of Eden//** on April 30 at 1 PM (Gold Card Matinee) and May 1-3 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $8 for adult orchestra, $7 for adult balcony, $5 for students, and a special $3 Student Group ticket. To order call (215) 368-9800 x 1341 OR download an order form at    <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">[|www.npenn.org] <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> OR purchase at the door. ====  <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">       <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> ===Children of Eden <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">is coming. . . are you? === <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">    <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">
 * DIRECTOR'S NOTES: ANDREA LEE RONEY & DEBRA BUCKNER**

The idea for //Children of Eden// began percolating last summer when Debra came up with the title as we sat relaxing after a long – and hot – day at the International Thespian Festival at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Like you, most of us hadn’t heard of it. We ordered and read perusal copies, fell in love with the music and the themes of the show. . . and knew we had the right company of students to bring to life this difficult, bold, and magical show. The story is loosely based on the first nine chapters of the //Book of Genesis//. We suspect that just about everyone in the audience will have an opinion or interpretation of that. Some of you may see your faith reflected, others a metaphor, others a fable, others just a good story with some fine singing by talented young adults. We hope that however you see the story that our production is thought provoking and uplifting. Beyond personal interpretations of creation there are questions we all share: What was it like to be the first human beings putting together the first families? What was it like trying to figure out raising children and letting them go to their own futures? What was it like dealing with a harsh, unforgiving world? What is creativity and do we define our limits? What was it like looking beyond and discovering wonder? These are age-old questions asked and experienced by each generation. At last one question faces each of us: How do we prepare our children to face the questions that will challenge them? And that is why we liked this play because it is about learning, and growing, and questioning, and accepting responsibility for the answers we find – together. Listen for the final words in Act II: // Of all the gifts we have received, // // One is most precious and most terrible: // // The will in each of us is free; it’s in our hands. . . . // // Our hands can choose to drop the knife, // // Our hearts can choose to stop the hating. . . // // No doom is written in the stars; it’s in our hands. . . . // // Just make our journey worth the taking, // // And pray we’re wiser than we were in the beginning. // As parents, teachers, a community, that’s what we all hope: that we raise children who will do better than we have before them. //Children of Eden// is about hope. As we send these young people out in the world, they are our hope. Knowing this company of young people as we do, we have placed our hope, our trust in strong and ready hands. ** Debra Buckner ** AND **Andrea Lee Roney**

** Children of Eden is presented through special arrangement  ** ** with Music Theatre International (MTI). **