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More than 50 local youth will take to the stage Sept. 13-22 for the Lake Wales Little Theatre production of "If the Shoe Fits."

Audrey Kelley Fritz is directing the play, an updated version of the Cinderella story, which runs for two weekends beginning Sept. 13. Performances are Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Jean

Written by Karen Woodford, the play takes place in the Kingdom of Kravitz, where a depressed Prince Owen is preparing to leave for college to study computers, since his is the only kingdom without a website. Tradition dictates that he attend a ball in honor of his graduation and choose a bride. All the eligible girls in the kingdom will be there, including the Royal Fan Club. Will the prince marry Cinderella, who just wants to get away from her wicked stepmother's house and study music? Or will the evil Valda, with the help of the Python Gang, successfully kidnap the prince and replace him with a mechanical duplicate? With a king who's a stickler for tradition, a town crier who hates his job and a fairy godmother straight from the employment agency, this modern twist of an old favorite is sure to provide a rollicking good time for cast and audience alike.

The cast includes 54 youth in grades 3-9, and every child who auditions is given a speaking part, Fritz said.

"The kids are having a blast with it. They are doing a superb job," she said.

Fritz said there's an academic benefit to performing as the young people learn to read and follow a script.

Williamson Photography of Lake Wales williamsonphotos.com

"It helps them develop their communication skills, their ability to interact with others. It helps them develop their ability to navigate in a verbal world," Fritz said. "They get confidence and self-assurance. We've seen many times where a child just blossoms from their exposure and what they do at the theater. It also gives them a place to belong and be supported."

In addition to the play there will be a special short performance by nine children in kindergarten through grade 2, called the Theatre Tots. Fritz's teenage daughter, Holly, wrote an adaption of the Three Little Pigs, and is directing the tots.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for those 18 and under and they can be purchased online at http://www.lwlt.org or at the box office, which is open on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call the theatre at 863-676-1266 or email lakewaleslittletheatre@lwlt.org.

To see a full gallery of photos by Williamson Photography of Lake Wales williamsonphotos.com, go to https://www.lakewalesnews.net/photos