Tryon Fine Arts Center (TFAC) announces the cast for the Fall Educational Theater production of A Thousand Cranes, by Kathryn Schultz-Miller.

Students from Landrum High School, Chapman High School and Polk County High School will bring this adaptation of Eleanor Coerr’s novel about a little girl’s wish for peace to schools in South Carolina District One and Polk County Oct. 14-18, with a final performance at TFAC on Sunday, Oct. 20.

There are two casts, one for the North Carolina schools and one for the South Carolina schools. Each cast member plays multiple roles. The ensemble casts are as follow:

NC: Emily Gage, Grace Marshall, Price Marshall and Graci Moser – (all attend PCHS)

SC: Sydney Bishop (CHS), Alyssia Chaplin (CHS), Melissa Hernandez (LHS) and Brody McCracken (LHS)

The play tells the story of the little Japanese girl Sadako Sasaki who was exposed to radiation from the Hiroshima bombing, and years later developed leukemia.

While in the hospital her best friend made her a paper crane and told her if she could fold 1,000 of them, she would get a wish from the crane and get the strength to live.

She collected scraps of paper from around the hospital to make the cranes, but only managed to make 644 before she was too weak. Her friends and classmates finished the cranes for her and every year people around the world make paper cranes and put them at statues and memorials dedicated to her, using their wishes for world peace.

Both casts will unite for a one of a kind performance at TFAC on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. The tour, directed by Marianne Carruth, is presented free of charge to the schools, with generous support from the Duke Energy Foundation.

For more information, contact marianne@tryonarts.org or call 828-859-8322.

– article submitted by Marianne Carruth