'Frog and Toad' hops on stage at museum

A much-loved children's book series and a 1940s radio program are both coming to life this weekend and next at the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada.

Wild Horse Children's Theater is presenting "A Year with Frog and Toad, Kids," a Tony-award winning musical based on the Frog and Toad series of award-winning books by Arnold Lobel.

"A Year with Frog and Toad, Kids," performed by two casts of 62 children ages 5 to 18, follows the exploits of two best friends - friendly and easy-going Frog and his grumpy pal Toad.

"The show stays very, very true to the Frog and Toad series," the popular easy-readers for young children, said Pat Josten, executive producer of Wild Horse Productions in Carson City.

The show is directed by Carol Scott, executive director of Wild Horse Productions.

In collaboration with Wild Horse Productions, The Unnamed Acting Company, a theater company for teenagers formed last year, is putting on "Loving Lives," a two-act comedy by Alan Haehnel that unfolds over the course of the final day of a 1940s radio show.

The cast includes a dozen teens and young adults, who also produced the show, doing everything from building the set to sewing costumes. The play is directed by 18-year-old Veronika Avitia and 16-year-old Danita Bayer, primary players at the company.

The company, which Bayer said fills a gap for teenagers interested in theater between children's productions and serious theater for adults, started as a club for friends last year.

"We got a bunch of friends together to work on acting skills and after a couple meetings we decided we wanted to put on a show," said Bayer.

In October 2008, the seven friends staged "Salem's Daughter," a drama set in both the 17th century and in the present about condemned witches and the murder of a young girl. "Loving Lives" is the group's second production.

Wild Horse Children's Theater is also holding a contest at the Carson City Library in which children can color in Toad's bathing suit. The best entries will be given free tickets for each performance.

The show will also tour area elementary schools this fall, said Josten.