Extra Yarn
A ramshackle town
A box of yarn
A daring dream
In the ice-cold, rusted-out factory town of Tinker’s Cove, Annabelle and her family work and play in the looming shadow of the Archduke’s factory, which churns out a never-ending stream of perfect Cuthington’s Cups . There seems to be no way out of this monochrome, perfection-obsessed place, until Annabelle discovers a multicolored box of yarn that smells like summertime. Soon, Annabelle is knitting sweaters for everyone—and while her sweaters aren’t machine-made perfect, there’s beauty in her love-filled, cozy stitches. But the wily Archduke will stop at nothing to get Annabelle’s box of never-ending yarn…
A world premiere musical based on the book by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen
Adapted by Jess Wright Buha
Music by John Szymanski
Lyrics by Jess Wright Buha & John Szymanski
Genre: adventure/comedy/musical
Length: one act, 60 minutes
Cast: 4 actors
Set: Flexible
Cast: Calvin Adams (Archduke, Pa, etc), Amanda de la Guardia (Ma, Nate, etc), Bradley Halverson (Mars, Mr. Norman, etc), Shea Lee (Annabelle)
Crew: Anthony Kayer (Director), Adrian Griffey (Stage Manager/C.C.O.), Noah Ginex (Puppet Designer), Jessie Gowens (Costume Designer), Thee Ricky Harris (Music Director), Emily Hayman (Sound Designer), Becca Jeffords (Lighting Designer), Joe Johnson (Scenic Designer), Sam Paulson (Properties Designer)
ANNABELLE: What’re we gonna do now, Mars. Ain't no yarn, ain't nothing that’d be decent for knitting a sweater.
Alls I got are dirty ol shoelaces and slimy ol ropes and silly old weeds. And I ain't even got enough of those. Why'd I think I could do something great. Or even halfway good--ah!
(ANNABELLE trips over the Yarn Box.)
ANNABELLE: Can’t even walk without falling over.
(Mars barks at the yarn box.)
ANNABELLE: Leave it, Mars, It’s just some dirty old box full of...
(ANNABELLE opens the box. A magical light. It’s full of the fluffiest, most colorful, most magical yarn.)
ANNABELLE: Yarn. What a pretty color.
Look, Mars! Is this enough for a sweater? Maybe! It’s a lot longer than shoelaces. And softer than weeds—feel how soft. And it don’t smell like moldy old rope. It smells like summertime.
But there probably ain't enough for a sweater. Probably aint even enough for a pair of socks.
(Annabelle sets the box down and walks away. Mars barks at the box.)
ANNABELLE: Mars, leave it. Mars!
(Mars is insistent. Mars scrapes a paw at the box)
ANNABELLE: Mars, I know what's gonna happen. I'll start knitting a sweater, and then I'll run out of yarn and have to stop, so it won't be a sweater, it'll just be a half-knitted MISTAKE.
(Mars barks out the rhythm of the phrase "just undo it, or redo it, or you find your way right through it")
ANNABELLE: Just undo it, or redo it, or you find your way right through it.
Yeah. So maybe we--
Maybe we just start. And we might not get very far--I'm telling you right now, Mars, we might not get very far at all. But why don't we just go and see how far we get.
PRESS
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Jessica Wright Buha’s script, featuring a charming score by John Szymanski, unfolds in a swift and engaging hour under Anthony Kayer’s direction, with a nimble cast of four playing several roles (except for Shea Lee, who shines as Annabelle). Amanda de la Guardia as Annabelle’s newly radicalized mom who goes on strike, Calvin Adams as the whiny archduke, and Bradley Halverson as the schoolmaster who learns some things from his students, all make Extra Yarn an enchanting tale and a smart way to teach us all that mistakes are how we learn. And if that’s not enough, there’s also a cute dog puppet (designed by Noah Ginex), too.
– Kerry Reid, The Chicago Reader (Reader Recommended)
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"That was an anti-capitalist delight."
- Audience member, upon leaving the theatre
Productions
Premiered February 2023, Lifeline Theatre (Chicago, IL)
Production photos by Jackie Jasperson