Youth theatre company brings pop-fueled fairytale to Thalian Hall

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A North Carolina-based youth theater company is bringing a Broadway-style twist on classic fairy tales to Wilmington, and making history in the process.

Performance Club Theatre Company, based in Wilmington, will debut Once Upon a One More Time this weekend at Thalian Hall’s Ruth and Bucky Stein Theatre. It’s the first time the musical has ever been performed in North Carolina.

The show reimagines fairy tale heroines like Cinderella in a pop-powered feminist story set to the music of Britney Spears. Executive Director Tre’ Ricanek says the production gives young performers a chance to explore something fresh and empowering.

“This show is a different take on the classic fairy tales that we all know and love,” Ricanek said. “The princesses have a feminist awakening led by Cinderella and the original fairy godmother — who is very different from the one we’re used to.”

Performance Club is the only all-youth regional theater company in North Carolina — and the entire East Coast — working with 200 to 300 students annually from 10 counties across North and South Carolina.

Ricanek says the company is focused on introducing newer works to local audiences while making theater accessible to young people of all backgrounds.

“One thing that I have always wanted to do was to give everyone a chance to act, perform — but also bring those new shows that we aren’t used to seeing,” Ricanek said. “Those kids who aren’t classic musical theater kids… they see the show and they want to come out and audition.”

This year’s production drew more than 200 students to auditions. The cast for Once Upon a One More Time includes performers ages 11-19.

The show runs Friday through Sunday with performances at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day at the Ruth and Bucky Stein Theatre, located inside Thalian Hall. Tickets are available online through Thalian Hall’s website or in person at the box office on Chestnut Street.