STANLEY SWITLIK SCHOOL PUTS ON FIRST PLAY SINCE 2019

a woman standing in front of a bed next to a little girl
Daelani Holmes, left, tries her best as a chamberlain to help her princess (Ariella Dworniczak) get some rest.

“I have a warning: prepare for all the jokes.”

That’s Stanley Switlik fifth grader Emmitt Johnson’s messages to audiences who plan to attend “Goodnight Princess, Sleepless in Fairytale Lane,” the school’s first theatrical production since 2019.

Featuring a cast of 24 fifth graders, along with six stage hands, the show, as one might guess, centers around a princess (Ariella Dworniczak) who just simply can’t seem to get to sleep. Audience members are treated to the best efforts of her chamberlain (played by Daelani Holmes) and other fairytale creatures trying their best to provide tips for her insomnia.

Emmitt Johnson serenades the crowd with a song as The Moon.

In a departure from tradition, director Michele Licause elected to give her fifth grade students their own time to shine, as opposed to including third and fourth graders in the production. 

“We decided to just work with the fifth grade class because they got the short end of the stick,” said Licause. “They were cut out of ‘Willy Wonka’ when it was canceled two years ago because of COVID.” Due to the pandemic, this will be the first and only opportunity for the entire cast to appear on the Switlik stage.

Licause heavily credited both the efforts of the students and other teachers involved in the production. “They’re a great group to work with; they’re very hard working, really motivated, and excited to be on stage. And all of us have worn a lot of hats. Producing, painting, it takes a village.” In addition to Licause, Bailey Francisco and Deb LaFountain serve as co-directors, with Amelia Buchanan as an assistant director and Shannon Wiley handling set design.

Rebecca Merryman, left, salivates over a turkey as the Big Bad Wolf as the cook (Emigda Flores Castilla) watches.

By their own estimation, the cast is just about ready to go, and described their experience with their directors as “awesome,” “amazing” and “the best.” They also show a keen awareness of their stage hands’ efforts behind the scenes, including stage manager Levi Davis. “(Levi) controls everything,” said Johnson. “Without them, we wouldn’t be able to give a good performance.” 

Davis himself seems to enjoy working behind the scenes. “The best part is I don’t get seen,” he said. “And if somebody annoys me, I can just mute their mic.”

“Goodnight Princess” will have one public performance on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased here.

Alex Rickert
Alex Rickert made the perfectly natural career progression from dolphin trainer to newspaper editor in 2021 after freelancing for Keys Weekly while working full time at Dolphin Research Center. A resident of Marathon since 2015, he fell in love with the Florida Keys community by helping multiple organizations and friends rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Irma. An avid runner, actor, and spearfisherman, he spends as much of his time outside of work on or under the sea having civil disagreements with sharks.