It was a story of how a frog turned into a prince, and his mishaps along the way. On his way, he ran into a princess, a handmaiden and the Queen Bea, or the mother figure.

The production of “Veronomas A. Frog” entertained the students of the Neil Armstrong Program at Hawthorne School in Mattoon. The production was part of Children’s Theatre Tour course at Eastern.

The children loved the parts with the frog and laughed at all his silly comments. They also laughed at parts when the Queen Bea came on and tried to guide the frog.

“I thought it was very funny,” said Jerod, a student from Hawthorne.

Another student, Stephen, said his favorite part of the performance was the frog.

About 60 students and teachers attended the show.

“My students enjoyed it tremendously,” said Patricia Spence, teacher at Hawthorne. “It was very animated, and they all got involved. I thought it was a positive experience for the kids.”

The students laughed and participated in the show. The frog/prince got the most laughter from the kids.

“I think the frog was the children’s favorite part about this year’s production,” said teacher Bonnie Tipsword.

The students all had positive reactions to the play.

“Well, they were very engaged and they really enjoyed it,” said Susan Miller another teacher at Hawthorne. “I think the part they liked the best was the frog, the main character. There was also one girl who absolutely loved the princess.”

Theatre arts students put on a production last year and visited Hawthorne as well. They also performed a fairy tale production last year.

“Eastern came last year, and they enjoyed it last year as well,” Tipsword said.

The students did not like one play more than the other. Both were very good productions, said the teachers.

“I think they enjoyed them both equally; they were both very good. It was another fairy tale play,” said Miller.

Most students did not disrupt the play and yelled out answers to the character’s questions. “They really liked it,” Tipsword said. “I asked them afterward what they thought of it and they said it was good. They watched the whole thing. They said they really liked it and thought it was fun and entertaining.”

The play will be featured at 6:30 p.m. today in the Village Theatre, 960 18th St.

Students in the productions have to be enrolled in Children’s Theater Tour, a full course that introduces the student to the practical aspects of producing plays for young people. The focus of the course is on the development of a theatre piece, which will then be presented to area students. Basic creative dramatics activities will be introduced. Students should perform at 10-13 area schools in a 50-mile radius from Charleston.

Fact Box:

Kevin Folliard, senior general studies major, who played “Sir Lancelot Pancelot.”

What is your favorite thing about Children’s Theater?

“Well, we just had our first show. We get them to laugh and be entertained. We get them to basically just have a good time.”

What is your favorite thing about your character?

“My favorite thing about my character is that he gets to have a lot of fun with the kids – everything is pretty animated.”

Ashley Corbett, senior theater arts and journalism major, who played the “Queen Bea.”

What is your favorite thing about Children’s Theater?

“Definitely the kids. We have been performing for three days and have done two shows already. The kids really get into the show. You don’t get that from the adults and children really believe you are the character you are playing. Today, a girl came up to me and told me I was pretty, too, so that was nice.”

What is your favorite thing about your character?

“She is definitely a different character to play. She is ditzy and smart at the same time but she’s fun. I have a lot to work with. I can exaggerate my character to the extreme, and she is a lot like myself sometimes.”