Elizabethtown College’s theatre department performed “Rats’ Tales” April 19, 20, 21, 26 and 27 at 8 p.m. and April 29 at 2 p.m. in the Tempest Theatre.

“The play is made up of several stories or folk tales that spin off the lead story, which is the Pied Piper of Hamelin,” director and adjunct professor of theatre Theresa Mastrobuono said.

There are a total of seven stories.

“There is a continuous thread that runs through all seven stories: the loss of things associated with childhood innocence, status, power, identity, using the lost children of Hamelin as the central metaphor,” Mastrobuono said.

With the multiple stories, staging had to be more creative.

“I love the need for creative solutions and engaging the imagination,” she said. “The actors were so very patient and tolerant of all the experimentation we had to do in order to get things like shadow images to work. I so appreciate the trust they put in me!”

The various stories also led to actors playing multiple roles.

There were five seniors involved in the production: David Callahan, Katherine Campbell and Amber Mangabat, who were actors, and Suzie AlAbsi and Juliana Krampf, who were part of tech.

Campbell, who played the seamstress, has been involved with the theatre since her first year at Etown.

“I wanted to explore the eccentricities of story theatre and the methodologies of storytelling devices,” Campbell said.

With this being her last show, Campbell was both excited and sad.

“My experience has been extremely rewarding. I’ll really miss the Tempest Theatre and everyone I’ve been in that theater,” Campbell said.

Mangabat, who played the cook, has also been involved in theatre since her first year.

Mangabat is a theatre major and has been active in the department, both on and offstage.

“This is actually my first mainstage show this year. So, I was really eager to get back on the stage, especially knowing how creative and spontaneous this director can be,” Mangabat said.

Mangabat reflected on the fast-paced atmosphere of the show.

“We’re jumping, we’re screaming, we’re sprinting—one of my transitions involves me running the entire perimeter of the theatre wing of the BSC within about 15 seconds; it’s insane,” Mangabat said.

She also shared how the cast had to rely on one another.

“Since we’re all in the same scenes, we have to move as this well-oiled acting and backstage-prepping machine,” Mangabat said. “The crew is really amazing too. It doesn’t matter what’s happening between people once the stage is empty; when the show is running, we have to trust each other, and I think the audience can see that.”

For Mangabat, her last show is a bittersweet experience. The Etown theatre has been an important part of her time at college.

“The theatre shaped me from the person I was in high school to the person I am now,” Mangabat said.

“I’ve gotten so much experience in such a wide array of acting roles and tech positions; I met some of my closest friends through theatre here.”

Even though she will miss the theatre, she is ready to move forward in life.

All the seniors have greatly contributed to the theatre department and will be missed, according to Mastrobuono.

“I will miss them and their talent and skills tremendously,” Mastrobuono said. “Rats’ Tales” was the last theatre production for the spring semester.