Edmunds County Tribune -

Aberdeen’s Storybook Land Theatre is hitting the road with their new musical, “Curious George: The Golden Meatball,” based on the popular children’s series by Margaret and H.A. Rey.

Aberdeen’s Storybookland Theatre will be performing in Ipswich in the Bandshell on Main Street on Wednesday, August 8 at 2 p.m. The play will be performed in Roscoe at 7 p.m. on Aug. 8 in the Edmunds Central School.

All ages are welcome to attend and it’s FREE.

Everyone’s favorite curious little monkey is back once again with a brand new adventure, as he climbs and swings his way to saving the annual All-You-Can-Eat Meatball Day. Audiences all over northeastern South Dakota are invited to free performances of this “a-peeling” musical, suitable for audiences of all ages.

Curious George first appeared in the 1939 book “Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys” and has since gone on to appear in countless books, live-action productions, movies and even children’s toys.

Broadway World calls this production “a great opportunity for kids to enjoy theater” and “an incredibly cute story with the children watching blown away and having an absolute blast”.

The cast of “Curious George: The Golden Meatball” is made up entirely of the Storybook Land Theater summer cast: Haven Brunes, Julia Friedrichsen, Tylan Glover, Rachel Morrison, Brian T. Schultz, Isaac Seaton, Briggs Tople and Claire Vetter.

Storybook Land Theatre, a program of Aberdeen Parks, Recreation and Forestry, is in its 30th season of free, family-friendly performances. Partnering with Aberdeen Community Theatre’s Young People’s Theatre, under the direction of ACT Associate Artistic/Managing Director Brian T. Schultz, SBLT performs eight different shows in eight weeks in the Storybook Land Castle in Aberdeen’s Wylie Park. Performances are typically held Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, June through August.

This is the second year SBLT has added a touring element to its programming. Through funding from 3Mgives, SBLT is able to bring “Curious George: The Golden Meatball,” to rural communities surrounding Aberdeen at no cost.

“We had such great success with our touring production of ‘Junie B. Jones the Musical,’ last year,” explained Schultz. “We’re so pleased to be able to offer this opportunity yet again. We’re looking forward to meeting up with old friends that we made on the road last year, plus meeting some new friends.

“None of this would be possible without the support of 3M,” Schultz added. “We appreciate so much the opportunity to partner with a forward-thinking local corporation that is committed to youth and the arts. This will be a tremendous experience not only for the communities we visit, but the actors that are part of the SBLT company. This is invaluable professional experience for them, too.”

Schultz hopes the touring element of SBLT’s programming is something that will be able to continue for several years to come.

3Mgives’ purpose is to promote stronger and more sustainable communities through donations, investments and through their 3M volunteers. Since its inception, 3Mgives has invested $1.45 billion in cash and in-kind support globally, according to the 3Mgives 2016 annual report.

For more information about local performances, contact Jackie Kessler with the Ipswich Commercial Club at 605-426-6899 or Sandra Beyers with the Edmunds Central Library. For more information about SBLT, contact Schultz via SBLT’s Facebook page or [email protected].