'Emperor's Daughters,' 'Sleeping Beauty' on stage at John Waldron Saturday

The Bloomington Area Arts Council and Monroe County Civic Theater will present "Sleeping Beauty" at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Feb. 25 and 26 at the John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium, 122. S. Walnut St.\nCatherine Wilkerson's version of this well-known fairy tale is part of the 2005-06 Performance Series at the John Waldron Arts Center.\n"We've got a really good cast," Janice Clevenger, the director of "Sleeping Beauty," said. "Developing it and seeing it grow is the joy of directing."\nAccording to a press release, in "Sleeping Beauty," the queen, Eszter Kiss, invites all the good fairies of the kingdom to the christening of Princess Gloria, excluding the bad fairy, Fearinda. Fearinda casts a spell that the princess should die by pricking her finger on a spindle. The good fairy Dearinda mitigates the curse by casting a counter-spell that will cause the princess to sleep for 100 years.\nOn her 16th birthday, the curse comes to pass and the king's court falls asleep. After 100 years, the court wakes and everyone lives happily ever after.\nA short play titled "The Emperor's Daughters," by Cena Christopher Draper, will be featured before "Sleeping Beauty." In this play, the emperor, Jon Clough, wishes to marry off his four daughters to his dearest enemy's four sons. The young people have no interest in matrimony, but all are happy with the outcome.\nBoth "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Emperor's Daughters" are appropriate for children of all ages, Clevenger said. The plays also feature many young actors. Clevenger said the youngest fairy in "Sleeping Beauty" is 8 years old. \nAdmission is $6 for all ages and tickets will be available at the door or in advance at www.bloomingtonarts.info. For more information visit www.artlives.org.