Heartland Festival goes back to nature

Photo: Jeremy Portje

'Frog and Toad' a kid-friendly tale
By SANDYE VOIGHT TH staff writer Published in the Telegraph Herald
Posted with permission.

It's all animals all the time in the next production of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Heartland Festival.

"A Year with Frog and Toad" is the story of two friends -- a cheerful frog and a grumpy toad.

Their larger circle of friends includes birds, squirrels, moles, a mouse, a turtle, a lizard and a snail.

Jay Cullen, of Dublin, Ohio, will play Frog to Ryan Bartscher's Toad. Bartscher is from Byron, Ill.

The other actors -- Kelsey Klug and Terry Dillon, of Platteville; Abby Schultz, of Dubuque; Paul Helm, of Wind Lake, Wis. -- will have multiple roles.

The story is an adaptation of the award-winning 1970s children's book series by Arnold Lobel.

Director Ann Farrelly, assistant professor of theater at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, remembers reading them as a child.

"They go through a whole season," she said. "They go swimming, bake cookies, rake the leaves and go sledding. The costumes will be colors and shapes that suggest animals. The moles will have balloon pants, gloves and Coke-bottle glasses."

Farrelly said the play is a simple story that's geared to a young audience but is appropriate for any age.

"It's very kid-friendly. The actors are very close to the audience, but it's not interactive. We won't be pulling anybody out of the audience. It's really sweet and fun and very heart-warming and the music has nice harmonies."

News You Can Use
What: "A Year with Frog and Toad," comedy Who: Heartland Festival When: 7:30 p.m. performances Friday, June 27, Tuesday, July 15; Wednesday, July 23 and Tuesday, July 29; 2 p.m. matinees Saturday, June 28; Saturday, July 5; Sunday, July 13; Sunday, July 20; and Saturday, Aug. 2. A morning show, 10 a.m. Saturday, July 26 Where: Center for the Arts, University of Wisconsin-Platteville Cost: $17 adults, $9 children younger than 18