'Once upon a mattress'

Princess Winnifred is crushed because her fate leads her away from a marriage to her true love, Prince Dauntless.

"She is the princess who cries because she wants to be able to marry prince Dauntless," explained seventh grade actress Taylor Smith, who will play Princess Winnifred for the Incline Middle School theater production, Once Upon a Mattress.

Once Upon a Mattress will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3 at the Incline Middle School Forum. Tickets will be available at the door. Adults are $7, students are $3.

"I am really excited to play (Winnifred)," Smith said before taking to the stage in a dark green medieval gown for a dress rehearsal Wednesday.

Smith said if Winnifred exited, they might be friends.

"We're both kind of crazy and eccentric," she said.

Other actors didn't speak as favorably of the characters they play.

"He's really kind of a Mama's boy," said 6th grade student Mitchell Comstock speaking of Prince Dauntless, the object of Winnifred affections. "I wouldn't be friends with him, he's kind of a crybaby."

Comstock was also outfitted in medieval attire, a green cap and feather completed his tunic stage attire.

About 35 students from IMS have been working on the production since late March with director Marsh Tejeda and assistant director Lenty Hagen.

"I think the play is coming along and I can't wait for the performance," said Kayla Franklin, a seventh grader working as stage manager for the show."

Once Upon a Mattress puts a twist to the medieval story, "The Princess and the Pea." The show first opened on Broadway on May 11th in 1959 and has since been nominated for several Tony awards.