A big bad wolf won't be needed to blow down the houses of straw, sticks and bricks that Howard Community College's theater department will be creating for its production of "Biggity Bad and the Three Little Pigs." The set for the school's first touring show in over 10 years will be built and taken down by the traveling performers – a mix of students, alumni and staff – every week while they are performing at local elementary schools throughout the months of September and October.
"It is so great for our students to get that kind of work under their belts before they graduate," said Grace Anastasiadis, director of the production and the arts collective associate artistic and managing coordinator at HCC.
"Everything was made to be put up in about an hour and then taken down," Anastasiadis said. "It is really a fantastic experience for actors and students to be able to do that now and see how it works."
Bill Gilette, the chair of HCC's theater and dance department, suggested the college restart a traveling production after doing similar productions while working at Carroll Community College in Carroll County.
"It's a great opportunity for our students and the community," Gilette said, of the traveling production. "We're really excited."
Written by Edith Weiss, "Biggity Bad and the Three Little Pigs" is a re-telling of the popular story "The Three Little Pigs" with positive lessons and plenty of humor, according to Gilette.
"The younger kids will find a lot of physical humor and the older kids will enjoy the built-in verbal humor," Gilette said. "It really works for all ages."
Rachel Mackall, 18, who plays Piggelty, has been in several productions at HCC and is excited to be in the traveling production with all its demands.
"The biggest challenge will be trying to adapt to a different stage every time," Mackall, a second-year student, said. "You will never know how much space you have and the blocking will change depending on how big or small the stage is."
Melissa Paper-Garthoff, who plays Farmer Maggie in the show, echoed Mackall's concerns.
"It's going to be kind of a different show every time," Paper-Garthoff said. "Every stage will be different. We will need to do a little improv. It's a good challenge. Good for the brain and good for the body. "
For both actors, those concerns are just part of what makes "Biggity Big and the Three Little Pigs" unique.
"It's going to be just an incredible show," Mackall said. "The costumes are fabulous. I get to wear a tutu and some very bright pink leggings."
An alum of the school as well as an employee who works in HCC's research and development office, Paper-Garthoff is looking forward to performing the show both at HCC and in the schools.
"It is very exciting to have a show that kids will really enjoy and really get something out of it," Paper-Garthoff said. "We have a great group of actors and everyone is committed."
Three free performances will be held at the college on Sept. 10 and 11. The troupe will then perform the production every Friday at elementary schools in Howard County.
"By the end of the [last] school year, most of the shows were in place," Gilette said, of the show's demand.
None of the hosting elementary schools have to pay for the production. As Carroll Community College had recently finished its production of "Biggity Bad," HCC was able to use items from that production as well as limited funding to produce "Biggity Bad." As for funding future productions, Gilette says there are several options including PTA grants and charging admission for the shows at the college.
"We wanted to get it going," Gilette said, of this year. "We hope it will go out every year."
Since working with the cast since August, Anastasiadis says everyone is ready.
"They can't wait. They are so ready," Anastasiadis said. "I can't wait to share it. I am sure the kids will love it."
"Biggity Bad and the Three Little Pigs" will be performed on Sept. 10 at 4 and 6 p.m., and Sept. 11 at 2 p.m., at Howard Community College's Smith Theatre, 10901 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. Admission is free. For tickets, go to howardcc.edu/ boxoffice or call 443-518-1500.