She also takes her family and loved ones seriously. Her fun and inquisitive young friends like sibling ladybug spotters Hazel (Tuisdi McClure) and Elmer (Haydn Harris), her beloved mother (the gentle and motherly Mary-Claire Marcear), and the distant memories of her long-lost father. But it is her memory that’s at risk. Unlike Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, memories need not be physically zapped from the brain to erase the past. In Nocturno, memories are enmeshed within their patchwork “past coat.” The wise Memory Mender (Preston Flowers) warns of its importance, reminding Iris to carefully maintain her coat and never take it off. Yet when the mysterious, unemotional but somehow sad Mr. Matternot (Dallas Juarez) arrives to take Iris from her home to be the child of Nocturn’s eccentric rulers, Iris is convinced to give up her coat, her memories, losing her family and so much of herself. All except for one coat button.

AC Lamplight Youth Theatre’s production in Amarillo, Texas gives Director Cyndie Koetting, her creative team, and her group of young actors a chance to tackle a play set in a vibrant world filled with great symbolism and rich characters. And they’ve got two great actresses for the title role split between eleven-year-old Sierra Collins and twelve-year-old Lauren McFather, each capturing a genuine solemnity and yearning for something she senses that she’s missing, determined to discover it. The rulers of the kingdom are the quirky couple Gretta and Grotto Good. Eleven-year-old Baylee Konnecke gives an excellent portrayal of the vain and arrogant Gretta while fifteen-year-old Troy Cartwright is a riot as the neurotic Grotto – both amusing and a little creepy as they demand order, obedience, and perfection. Anything less, and their perfect little girl Iris will be put in a glass case like a doll.

Other good performances come from Andie Auth and Jatin Thomason as Annabel Lee, Micah Gillezeau as a young Mozart, Isaac Youree as Mr. Otherguy, Taylor Houston as Captain Also, and an ensemble of colorful characters. All made even more colorful with Bonnie Brodeur’s marvelous costume creations and nice touches by Set Designers Cyndie Koetting and Matt Lindsley who also illuminates the scenes with his lighting, polishing their fantasy world filled with wonder, danger, love, and a quest for self.

Performs November 13 - 15, 2009

Rob Hopper
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Executive Director
National Youth Arts

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