Marshalltown Community Theater presents 'Space Princess Wars', a fantasy-meets-sci-fi play.

Marshalltown Community Theater staged 'Space Princess Wars' at Miller Middle School after a winter storm delay, with a cast of 21 actors spanning ages and a minimalist approach to sets and costumes.

Marshalltown Community Theater staged Space Princess Wars at Miller Middle School, blending elements of Star Wars and The Princess Bride. The opening was delayed by a winter storm and moved to Saturday rather than canceled. Regina Gill directed the production for the first time after finding the play while seeking middle school material. The cast and crew include 21 actors covering a range of ages. Performance details: - Concept: 'Space Princess Wars' combines science-fiction and fantasy references from Star Wars and The Princess Bride into a single stage story. - Cast and crew: The production features 21 actors of various ages from the community. - Direction: Regina Gill is making her directorial debut; she brought the show to Marshalltown Community Theater after there were not enough middle school students to stage it there. - Scheduling: Coordinating rehearsals was difficult; no rehearsal had every cast member present and cold and flu season affected attendance. - Staging and story: The show uses a minimalist set to encourage audience imagination and is framed as a father telling a tale to his sick daughter about a kidnapped princess who proves to be a hero, with scenes such as a fire swamp. - Costumes and characters: Some costumes are provided for roles like prince, princess and evil empress; the wizard's costume was described as blending elements of Gandalf and Dumbledore, and there are performers playing "felines of unusual size." Summary: The production brings together multiple generations of local performers and mixes nostalgia with broad humor while relying on simple staging and collaborative rehearsal adjustments. Undetermined at this time.