Imagine a world where literary characters come to life each night.
That’s the premise of the Kirk Players’ annual children’s production. “The Enchanted Bookshop” will be staged at 7 p.m. April 5-6 and at 2 p.m. April 6-7 at Mundelein High School in Mundelein.
It is written by Todd Wallinger and directed by Jeff Harding and Nat Brautigam.
Brautigam, of Round Lake, estimates he’s been with Kirk Players for about eight years, first acting in the children’s show “Charlotte’s Web” as Templeton. He’s been an assistant stage manager for a children’s program before and this is his first time directing a play.
“It’s been a lot, in a good way,” he said of the experience. “There are a lot of things I’ve been able to do that I’ve really enjoyed in terms of putting my vision out there. And there are a lot of things I’ve had to learn in terms of running rehearsals and keeping everyone on track.”
“The Enchanted Bookshop” is about a bookstore called A Likely Story.
“Margie, the proprietor, has been having trouble selling books,” he said. “But what she doesn’t know is that at night, the book characters come to life. On top of that, a mysterious person comes in and leaves a mysterious book that two burglars are trying to take. The book characters want to save the bookstore but if Margie or any other characters see them, they’re gone forever. So what do they do? And that’s how we get our story.”
Some of the legendary literary characters that appear at night and populate the play are Frankenstein, the Queen of Hearts, Doctor Dolittle, Robin Hood, Dorothy and Toto, Tom Sawyer, Sherlock Holmes and Heidi.
“These are ones we see in the show, but it might be all (literary) characters,” he said.
Meaning Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen might be roaming the store making mischief together? Sure. But probably not on this stage.
“As long as they don’t see you, maybe,” he said.
He loved the script after reading it.
“When I read the script, it was absolutely adorable. I wanted to work on this. Initially, I thought about auditioning for it but when Jeff talked to me and said, ‘Hey. I think this would be a lot of fun for us to direct,’ I was on board.”
He’s always wanted to direct a play and working with Harding – who actually introduced Brautigam to his wife after casting them in a show together – felt right, he said, especially this being his first show.
He’s got 23 people in the show and 15 are kids. He’s a teacher and Harding is a retired teacher so working with kids isn’t new, he said. He even knew some of the young actors from previous shows.
“Also, the kids are just fantastic. They’re all very mature and ready to go,” he said. “They listen and they’re fantastic to work with.”
Although Brautigam can also be seen in other community theater productions — he played Algernon Moncrief in “The Importance of Being Ernest” last year with PM&L Theatre Company in Antioch – he considers Kirk Players his home base.
“I enjoy what we do and I love working with the Kirk Players so I always come back,” he said. “The next show that we’re doing is ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ and I’m planning on auditioning for that; just like a lot of other 30-something actors who live in Lake County and enjoy a really good role.”
He hopes people won’t let the “children’s show” moniker stop them from buying a ticket.
“There are new things that I find every night at rehearsal that get a laugh out of me and really make me invested,” he said. “It’s the actors, it’s the story, it’s the kids. It’s so beautiful.”
If there’s a message he hopes audiences take from “The Enchanted Bookstop,” it’s to read.
“Read a book. Find your next adventure there and bring the characters to life in your own home.”
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
‘The Enchanted Bookshop’
When: 7 p.m. April 5-6 and 2 p.m. April 6-7
Where: Mundelein High School, 1350 W. Hawley St., Mundelein
Tickets: $10-$20
Information: 847-521-6192; kirkplayers.org
