Dragons Love Tacos (and the audience loves Dragons) at Players Club of Swarthmore

by Aimee Ferenz

I had the great joy of attending another children's series show at Players Club of Swarthmore, this one “Dragons Love Tacos” by Ernie Nolan, based on the book by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri. The show follows a young boy and his dog who are left home alone while their mother runs out to pick up dinner. While channel surfing, the boy finds a show promising to reveal the incredible secrets of dragons. This 38 minute production takes the audience on a fun-filled journey where we learn about the different kinds of dragons and things that they love. One of my favorite things about the children’s series at PCS is how incredibly accepting they are of their young audience members. The show is introduced as a “no shush” zone by their wonderful director, Jason Boyer, allowing parents to take a sigh of relief as many of these little ones experience their first time at the theater. Members of PCS also handed out coloring pages, fidgets, and party hats during the pre-show which helped keep even the smallest audience members engaged up through the end of the show. Boyer’s production is lighthearted, jubilant, and wonderfully entertaining for audience members of all sizes. You can see how much heart he placed into the show with each rehearsal and how he cultivated a closeness in the cast through positivity and a true love of theatre.

While Boyer leads the production staff and cast members, he partners with a large group of artists who bring the show to life through different technical avenues. For instance Sarah Reynolds and Andrew Staub acted as movement coordinators, assisting the actors through simple (but effective) choreography and stylized movements. J. Tyler Atkinson acts as producer as well as set design and projections design for this production. I must commend Atkinson for his creative use of the projector, using the limitations of the borders to create a fake television on the wall. This could not be done without the skill of scenic artist Karly Steward, who gave magnificent detail and character to the stagnant set. This, along with videographer/marketing liaison John Parkinson, created deeply necessary moments of the show that were clear and easy to follow. This also goes hand in hand with Danielle Lachall’s lighting design, thus allowing the projections to be seen easily. Another joy of mine was the use of a black pipe across the main entry way and showered fog down on the scene for a sense of magic. Dave Zaffarano’s sound design works in tandem with Lachall’s lights as a storm rolls in and the dragons have a tough time with some spicy food. Zaffarano also serves as master carpenter for this production and Autumn Scouten is sound board operator during performances. These technical aspects of the show allow the audience to accept their suspension of disbelief easily and embrace the beauty of their new dragon friends. Costumes by Katie VanNewkirk, assisted by Celie Arangio, are dazzling, giving each character a beautiful personality that fits the role perfectly. I have to recognize the taco extraordinaires, Denise Kolodziej and Emily Murphy; the prop designers who must have built 100 felt tacos along with the rest of their wonderful props. Everything is held together with the patience and resolve of production stage manager Becca Begnaud, who continues to steer a calm ship through the storm. The production staff is completed by production photographer Abby Schechter and series producers Julie and Dave Zaffarano. 

The cast is made up of two humans, a dog, and four dragons. While this is a sizable group for a black box, they share the space well thanks to a concise set design. “Boy”, played by Lacey Baroni, and the dog “Leroy”, played by Chas Thomas, share the most time together on stage with a beautifully developed connection between them. Though no lines are shared between the two, their playful relationship mirrors that of a kid and his dog perfectly with a deep inner relationship. Their interactions with the other characters furthers this depiction, especially as none of the dragons have written lines either. So much of this show is told through body language, adlibbed moments, and facial expression which can be incredibly difficult for actors to master on their own, let alone with several other members within the production. What I loved dearly about the dragons is their physical expression of each different personality. The Red Dragon for instance, played by Emma Russek, is confident, friendly, and filled with spunk. Russek also found a way to show off her love of disability advocacy by using a decked out and very cool cane throughout the performance. Meanwhile, the white dragon is more whimsical and floaty, though sometimes a little foolish as performed beautifully by Kat Wilson. The Blue Dragon, Indigo Brunsen, is sweet and shy, warming up to the boy and Leroy once they offer a kind hand. Finally, the yellow dragon is too cool for school, with actor Melissa Santangelo often playing tricks on her castmates. The only performer with lines, and there were a lot of them, is Thomas-Robert Irvin as Man in Suit. While essentially monologuing the entire show is already very impressive, his energy and range of personality was deeply captivating. He works beautifully with his colleagues both mystical and not while carrying the show at an exceptional pace. 

The show is funny, quick, and informative of dragonlore. My husband and I brought our little one and he stayed focused and interested for most of the performance, having a particular fondness for the confetti. While he is still a little too small to understand the story or its characters, he was captivated by the costumes and different colors all around the room. He seemed to really love the energy that each character brought and was glued to Irvin and his magnificent suit. If you are looking for a way to entertain your kids this summer, you should look no further than PCS’s children’s series. While this weekend is sold out, some tickets are still available next week (July 18-19) at pcstheater.org 

Location: 

614 Fairview Rd, Swarthmore, PA 19081