Marin School for the Arts Presents Musical Comedy “Once Upon a Mattress”

Under the direction of Rodney Franz, the Theatre Arts Department of Marin School for the Arts (MSA), presents the musical comedy “Once Upon a Mattress,” in the Center for the Arts on the Novato High School Campus, March 15, 16, and 22 at 7 p.m. and 17, 23 and 24 at 2 p.m. 
Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School is an inclusive and specialized arts program within a public high school. Two of its departments, Theatre Arts and Product Design, will combine talents to present “Once Upon a Mattress,”their final Musical Production performance of the 2023-24 Season, in their 450-seat venue. 
“Once Upon a Mattress” features an ensemble of 35 students;  23 student performers, 12 technical students, under the direction of Theatre Director Rodney Franz, 20 Product Design students, under the direction of Ben Knudsen working on sets and props and Philip Chidel and six Cinematic Arts students document the performances. For the first time in many years MSA Theatre will feature a student choreographer, Casey Hilton, a student set designer, Evy Hall, who won Gold at the Lenaea Theatre Festival for set design.
“‘Once Upon a Mattress’ has a special place in my heart as it was the first Broadway Tour I saw as a boy. My grandmother didn’t have a lot of money, but took me to see ‘Mattress,’ starring Dodie Goodman and Buster Keaton, seated in the last row of  San Francisco’s Curran Theatre. MSA Theatre has the perfect cast to celebrate this madcap, fast-paced comedy with memorial tunes, so we are mounting this production. It gives our students the chance to be playful and have fun sharing their considerable talents – fun and playful being operative words,” said Franz. “Once Upon a Mattress” is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway, making Carol Burnett a star. The play was written as a humorous adaptation of the 1835 Han Christian Anderson fairy tale, “The Princess and the Pea.”  
MSA’s stages over four performances and participates in five theatre festivals and competitions per academic year. Past musical productions include “My Fair Lady,” “The Boys From Syracuse,” “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” “Nine,” “Into the Woods,” “Cabaret” and “Follies.” Their productions garnered nominations for the Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors winning two Best Overall Productions and Two Fan favorite Awards, as well sending five students to the Jimmy Awards on Broadway. 
General admission presale tickets and at the door are priced at $25 for adults and $20 for students. For ticketing information and to purchase tickets, visit: MSA Tickets.
Marin School for the Arts at Novato High School, located at  625 Arthur Street, Novato, CA 94947, founded in 2003, is an inclusive and supportive specialized arts program, committed to individual and artist exploration. The school promotes respect, self-expression, artistic risk taking, collaboration, equity, diversity, and inclusion. MSA offers students a wide array of programs, including: Cinematic Arts, Creative Writing, Dance, Music, Theatre Arts and Visual Arts. Learn more about MSA and the admissions process at Marin School of the Arts and follow us on Instagram.