THE NEVERENDING STORY: Insider info

By Young Performer Haley Olig who plays a bullly/ensemble in the Adventure Cast

This is my first main stage show with First Stage, and I’m so thrilled to be a part of THE NEVERENDING STORY! It’s a show that everyone can relate to, whether it’s escaping into a fantastic story, reaching for a huge goal, or finding out that you might have exactly what somebody needs.

It’s been an amazing adventure, getting to really explore the script, story, and most of all the characters! The characters are so much fun, and are sure to hold everybody’s attention, from young to old. The colorful puppets are perfect with the minimalist set. Though they’re definitely an adjustment from “regular” acting, they’re definitely my favorite part of the show. It’s been such an adventure to do the puppetry, especially the giant spider Ygramul. Marti Gobel plays the head, while four of us are the legs. Working with six-foot poles attached to us was one of the most challenging parts of rehearsal, but definitely proved to be “less annoying with time.” I’m hearing that it’s absolutely amazing, but I won’t have the chance to see it until I see the other cast perform.

"The Nothing" is also a HUGE project, but so much fun. Seriously, when else would you get to attack your cast members with a giant black sheet? The platforms that make up the stage have proved to be a big difficulty, though. We lost one adult to a broken foot in the first weekend, but we were able to fill in and keep moving along.

The remaining “adult” actors are such a privilege to work with. Each of them has a great sense of humor and has brought something to the table during this crazy process, especially great stories. G’Mork the werewolf was incapacitated through Velcro, and Joe Foust, aka Pretty Panda Snickers Man has definitely earned his keep with laughs.

Eribo, a tiny man in a zeppelin, has been played around with different actors, and it has been such a great experience to see the different take that each one has on the small, Napoleon-like character. It’s crazy to think that we open on Friday – it seems like we’ve only been rehearsing for a week! I know that we’ll be ready, though, and it’s sure to be a fantastic show when we open.

(Photo by John Deighton Hemingway: Ygramul the giant spider with actor Marti Gobel as the head with ensemble, Haley Olig is second from the back)