Discounts available for Once Upon a Mattress, starts this weekend!

The Patel Conservatory Youth Theater production of Once Upon a Mattress starts this weekend in the TECO Theater.

This popular musical based on The Princess and the Pea is a fun, light-hearted comedy perfect for the whole family.

If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, there’s lots of ways to save!

Families can take advantage of our Family Four Pack for only $39 for two adults and two children (can not be combined with any other discount).

Students receive 50% off with their Patel Conservatory ID.

Also, play our Once Upon a Mattress trivia on our Facebook page, and you can be entered to win a $20 iTunes gift card!

Simply ‘like’ the Patel Conservatory on Facebook. Each day, we’ll post a trivia question about the show. Be the first to post the correct answer and you’ll be entered to win the iTunes gift card. Winner will be announced on Monday, April 23, 2012.

Once Upon a Mattress plays April 12 - 21, 2012. Click here for tickets or call our box office at 813-229-STAR (7827).

Meet the cast of Once Upon a Mattress

With the Patel Conservatory Youth Theater production of Once Upon a Mattress starting soon, here’s a few fun facts about some of the cast.

They told us what they love about performing, and some interesting tidbits about themselves!

Kelly Coultas, 13

Lady Larken

At the age of 8, Kelly was cast as Fern in Charlotte’s Web, and, “boom, I found my calling!” She enjoys singing and has recorded in Nashville. She loves that this show is a funnier version of The Princess and the Pea.

Something interesting about herself: “Last spring I met the cast of Anything Goes in New York. I went backstage and met Sutton Foster, my Broadway idol!”

McKayla Whiteside, 11, of S. Tampa

Queen Aggravaine

McKayla Whiteside, right.

This is her first role at the Patel Conservatory. She loves performing because it helps her believe in herself. She says she’s a strong vocalist and people tell her she’s a prodigy.

“Theater is everything to me. Without it, my world would come to an end.”

Caileigh Potter, 13, of Hyde Park

Lucille and Beatrice

A choir and theater student, she’s been at the Patel Conservatory for two years, where she feels she’s learned a lot about being on stage.

“There are so many fun jokes in Mattress, it’s hard not to laugh.”

Bianca Rivera Inons, 11, of Waterchase

Princess #12 and Knight

A student at Patel Conservatory for four years, she’s taken dance, theater, choir and private acting lessons. She always loved seeing musicals and plays, so naturally, she wanted to be in them. “Studying the performing arts has helped me to break out of my comfort zone and try something new.”

She’s excited about the set and props for Mattress. “They’re going to be out of this world.”

She has a violet chinchilla, she hates chocolate, and her favorite dance move is rolling on the floor.

And, “I am obsessed with bunnies.”

Macy Scanlan, 12, of S. Tampa

Lucille

An acting student at Patel Conservatory for two years, she enjoys the performing arts because, “it’s something that I’m good at and it’s very fun. I have become more outgoing.”

She says Once Upon a Mattress is a really exciting and fun show that keeps you entertained.


Once Upon A Mattress runs April 12 - April 21, 2012. For tickets, click here.

Spotlight on Alexa Lowrey

After three years at the Patel Conservatory, Alexa Lowrey was ready for a lead role.

As Winifred in PCYT’s upcoming production of Once Upon a Mattress, 10-year-old Alexa has really come into her own as an actress, says her mom Michele de Lucca-Lowrey.

“She feels like she’s actually Winifred,” said Michele. “The way [the instructors] choose the children for the roles, they fit the characters so well... I think this production is going to be one of the best we’ve had.”

A music teacher at Lockhart Elementary who’s been teaching for 30 years, Michele is impressed with the level of professionalism her daughter gets at the Patel Conservatory.

As a mom and volunteer for many PCYT shows, “I’ve been with several of [the kids] for a long time. You see the difference in their vocal development and acting skills and self confidence,” she said.

Music seems to run in Michele’s family. Her mother sang at the Cathedrals of England.

“Alexa sings really well, like my mom,” said Michele, who also sings, and plays trumpet.

A student at Lockhart, Alexa has been in many school plays and had roles in PCYT’s Annie, Cinderella and Seussical the Musical.

“The Patel Conservatory is a lot more serious, it makes the show a lot better,” said Alexa. “It’s serious, but it’s really fun.”

While the cast and instructors have been working hard to rehearse and develop the show and actors’ skills, the end product is a fun, light-hearted performance with lots of snappy dialogue and comic entrances.

On playing Winifred, Alexa says, “She’s a really fun character in a working kind of way. She’s a really weird character, she has melodramatic moments. Once you have it, it’s really fun.”

Theater student pursues her passion

When the Rodriguez family decided to move to Florida from Hesperia, California last year, they wanted to make sure their kids had access to all the activities they enjoyed. 

For 12-year-old Angela Rodriguez, theater is her passion.

“We looked at different cities, like Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami,” explained Belkis Rodriguez.

The Patel Conservatory was the deciding factor that brought them to the Tampa area.

“They had lots of classes for all ages...and the fact that it’s connected to the Straz Center, that gives [Angela] something she can look towards,” said Belkis.

Angela Rodriguez, left, as Queen Aggravain

Angela, a student at Seminole Middle School, plays Queen Aggravain in PCYT’s upcoming production of Once Upon a Mattress. She got hooked on theater when she played a lioness in a school play in the first grade. She continued in school plays, classes and community theater productions.

Since joining the Patel Conservatory, her mom says, “I’m loving it and she’s loving it.”

“I love being in a production with kids my own age,” said Angela. In her former town, the closest theater program was at a community college, where the shows were geared towards college students.

“She’s really impressed with the program here,” said Belkis. “Even though she’s done theater for years, she’s learning things she hasn’t learned before.”

“[The instructors] explain things in depth,” said Angela. She says she’s learned a lot about character development and using experiences in her own life to tap into her character on stage.

Another plus about the Conservatory is the fact that Angela’s performance classes are all in one place.

“We used to do dance at one place, theater at another place,” said Belkis. With Angela’s two older brothers in baseball, and a younger brother in hockey, it can certainly be a lot. Being at the Conservatory several days a week, Belkis often sits in her car with her laptop and studies for her Florida real estate exam, but she takes it in stride.

Last October, Belkis suffered a heart attack.

“I totally died, I had to be resuscitated. You look at life differently,” she said. “I don’t sweat the small things anymore. I want to know that my kids are doing what they want to do.”

“I am so grateful, because if I didn’t have my mom, I wouldn’t be able to do this,” said Angela.

She’s looking forward to playing the role of the manipulative Queen Aggravain.

“I love playing evil parts, I don’t know why,” she laughs. “To her son, she’s the sweetest person, but to the people in the royal court, she’s the rudest person ever.”

Check out Angela in PCYT’s Once Upon a Mattress April 12 - 20, 2012 in the TECO Theater!