LEBANON — Two clothespins find themselves in a pinch when they accidentally go “off-line.”

        That's the premise of Once Upon a Clothesline, a children's play presented this weekend by the Lebanon Theatre Company.

        It's about the adventures of Pinno and Pinnette after they fall from the clothesline.

Alex Oeder, 9, of Morrow applies makeup as part of of his grasshopper costume for the play. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        When Pinnette is threatened by an evil spider, the pair enlist the help of their friends, the insects.

        Bringing the play to the stage has involved six weeks of rehearsals for the cast of 14, said director Amy Edington.

        It has also meant building a set and designing and making costumes for the likes of crickets, ants, grasshoppers and a beetle in evening dress.

        There were also a few subtle adjustments to the play itself, written in 1945 by Aurand Harris.

        “I changed some male parts to female parts, because all the females (in the play) were helpless,” said Ms. Edington.

IF YOU GO

• What: Once Upon a Clothesline, presented by Lebanon Theatre Company.    • When: 8 p.m. today and Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.    • Where: Shoe Factory Antique Mall, 120 E. South St., Lebanon.    • Tickets: $6.    • Information: 494-1932. Also call for more information about Spotlight on Kids, July 23-27 at Lebanon High School.

        As cast members prepared for the play's opening night Wednesday evening, they recalled their greatest challenges in rehearsal.

        “Memorizing lines,” said Mac Clenney, 12, a grasshopper.

        “The costumes,” added grasshopper Alex Oeder, 9.

        “Remembering what to do next,” said Ryan Hallman, 12, who plays Pinno.

        Young people were involved in ways other than acting.

        Three members of Boy Scout Troop 155 of Clarksville fulfilled requirements for a theater merit badge by serving as the production team. Alex Rickey, Tedd Hellinger and Bud Brewer helped transform the upper floor of Lebanon's Shoe Factory Antique Mall into a performance space and learned how to run lights and sound.

        Every year, the Lebanon Theatre Company mounts a children's production, but the ensemble's commitment to young people doesn't stop there.

        LTC presents a weeklong drama camp in July, called “Spotlight on Kids: an Introduction to the Stage.”

        “It helps them learn things like theater terms, makeup, movement and projection,” Ms. Edington said.

        Spaces are still available for children in grades 3 through 8 to participate in the camp. The cost is $5.

British warning targets Cincinnati
Fuel-dependent businesses turning to surcharges
Killer Scott is executed by injection
RADEL: Race task force Panel can't risk more delay
Tough talk will be part of rally
Welcome to Southbank? Covington's miffed
Findlay Market manager resigns
Hundreds of police mourn fellow officer
Smog won't stay around
New cops survived on-scene riot training
Bowling Green stars in McBride music video
Budget shortfalls loom in '02
Center opens for complaint calls
Charterites endorse 4 for council
Church takes time to decide disputes
Foes travel to protest execution
Ft. Thomas police get non-lethal weapons
Job-help programs get grants
Judge dismisses bootlegger; decries hypocrisy
Play's the thing for these kids on stage
Program for disabled gets $30K grant
Shootings, wrecks drain blood supply
State acquires second half of old-growth forest
Talawanda schools need $41M upgrade
Tristate A.M. Report