Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is a delightful picture story in which a winsome young donkey manages to turn himself into a rock and then can’t find his way back to those he loves. Enchantment selected this story to adapt for the stage because of its strong message about the importance of family, home and community.
Also, we were captivated by the charm of its lead character who, like many children, is eager to explore his world before he is ready to manage the results of his exploration. When Sylvester is attracted to a bright shiny red pebble that seems perfect for his rock collection, he manages to make exciting things happen with the pebble’s magic—he can turn the rain on and off! Put the sunshine back in the sky! Wish a wart off his leg! But when he transforms himself into a rock in his panic to escape a mean, hungry lion, he finds himself in a predicament he can’t reverse. As a rock sitting on Strawberry Hill, he is alone and scared. He can’t pick up the magic pebble lying next to him and wish himself into a donkey again.
In the journey Sylvester takes he observes many things about the world that he did not previously know. He comes to realize the true importance of family and friends. He discovers that his true salvation lies inside of him and not in magic pebbles. He also comes to know that you have to be careful what you wish for, because it just might come true. This seemingly simple tale is beautifully tender and suffused with the magic of love and understanding.
Zachary Chiero (Artistic Director) has been working with Enchantment Theatre Company since he graduated from Muhlenberg College in 2009. He began as part of the original cast of the national tour of The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon. Since then, he has appeared in ten Enchantment productions, including national tours (The Velveteen Rabbit, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble), Enchantment Everywhere productions (The Brave Little Tailor, The Beast in The Bayou), and most recently, the symphony production of Peer Gynt, where he played the title role and choreographed the show for its world premiere with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Over the years, Zachary has worked as a choreographer and associate director for multiple productions, as an administrator, and most recently he has taken on the role of Artistic Director of ETC. In addition to his work with ETC, Zachary is an Equity performer who works regularly in Philadelphia. His work with ETC over the last 15 years makes him an ideal collaborator on this benchmark production, that will usher in a new age of ETC productions.
Leslie Reidel (Artistic Director, Resident Director) has dedicated the last 30 years of his professional life to both the preservation of classical theatre and the development of young audiences. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College and a Masters of Fine Arts from Temple University. He served as a member of the M.F.A. faculty at Temple University and was a founding member of the Professional Theatre Training Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Delaware. His directorial credits include The Walnut Street Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, the Madison Civic Rep, the Pennsylvania, Utah, Colorado, and Fort Worth Shakespeare Festivals and 12 years as the resident director of the Great American Children’s Theatre. His most recent creations with Enchantment Theatre Company are the authorized North American production of Peter Rabbit™ Tales, which premiered in 2015; and Ravel’s Mother Goose and Aladdin and Other Enchanting Tales, both of which premiered in 2013 and toured nationally. Other productions include Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon, Scheherazade, and The Velveteen Rabbit, as well as The Fisherman and the Flounder, The Brave Little Tailor, and The Bremen Town Musicians for the Enchantment Everywhere regional touring program. Leslie is Professor of Theatre at the University of Delaware and a director for the Resident Ensemble Players in Newark, DE, where his recent projects have included Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Pinter’s The Homecoming and McPherson’s The Weir. In the fall of 2011 he directed a critically acclaimed production of Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes. Leslie is also a frequent guest lecturer on “Acting Shakespeare” and is a member of The International Shakespeare Conference, located in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Jennifer Blatchley Smith (Artistic Director, Literary & Education) studied writing and theater at Bennington College. For the last 30 years, she has co-created and performed in over 20 original productions presented around the United States and abroad. As a founding member of Enchantment Theatre Company, Jennifer created roles as diverse as the Broom in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Beauty in Beauty and the Beast. She performed in Enchantment productions at Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York; the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; and the Annenberg Center, the Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. She has traveled to Asia six times with Enchantment productions. Her most recent roles have been in Enchantment’s newest symphony production, Mother Goose, as well as The Firebird and Scheherazade. Her recent co-creations with Enchantment’s artistic team are the authorized North American production of Peter Rabbit™ Tales, which premiered in 2015 and toured nationally; Aladdin and Other Enchanting Tales, which premiered in 2013 and toured nationally; Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, which toured nationally 2011-2012; The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon, which toured nationally 2009-2011; Scheherazade, which premiered with The Cleveland Orchestra in 2008; and The Velveteen Rabbit, which toured nationally 2007-2009 and 2012-2013. She is a co-creator of Enchantment’s newest program, Enchantment Everywhere, which brings high quality, portable productions into schools and community venues in the Greater Philadelphia area. Recent Enchantment Everywhere productions include The Fisherman and the Flounder, The Brave Little Tailor, The Beast in the Bayou, and The Bremen Town Musicians.
Landis Smith (Artistic Director, Production) studied theater with Jewel Walker at Carnegie-Mellon University and with Jacobina Caro at Webster University Conservatory in St. Louis. He began performing magic at the age of six and studied violin and voice beginning at the age of nine. His love of theater, music and the art of illusion led to the founding of Enchantment Theatre Company in 1979. As a founder and performer with Enchantment, Landis has created, produced and performed in productions in North America and Asia. In 1985, Landis and Enchantment collaborated with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to premiere The Symphony and the Sorcerer, the first of a series of programs introducing young people to the magic of symphonic music. Since then, Landis has appeared with major orchestras nationwide, including the premiere of Enchantment’s theatrical adaptation of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade with The Cleveland Orchestra in 2008. Landis appeared with the Boston Pops on their annual holiday PBS television special, which aired for five years. He has performed in Enchantment symphonic productions of The Firebird, Cinderella, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Mother Goose with the Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta, Montreal, and Seattle symphonies, among others. Landis collaborated in the creation of Enchantment’s most recent national touring productions of Peter Rabbit™ Tales, Aladdin and Other Enchanting Tales, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon and The Velveteen Rabbit. He toured throughout Asia six times with Enchantment, performing in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Landis is a co-creator of Enchantment’s newest program, Enchantment Everywhere, which brings professional, portable productions to students and family audiences around the Greater Philadelphia area. Recent Enchantment Everywhere productions include The Fisherman and the Flounder, The Brave Little Tailor, The Beast in the Bayou, and The Bremen Town Musicians. Landis has been an adjunct professor of theater at Muhlenberg College since 2012.
Curriculum Connections: Language Arts: Classic Literature, Oral Storytelling, Inductive Thinking from Observation of Non-Verbal Language,
Comprehension; Social Studies: Social Interaction, Listening, Justice and Forgiveness, Transformative Power of Loving
Relationships
Suggested Ages:
PUBLIC AUDIENCE: All Ages
SCHOOL TIME AUDIENCE: Pre-K – 4th Grade
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