Wayside School is like no other learning institution.
Quirky things happen in its classroom environment.
“Sideways Stories from Wayside School” runs March 2-17 at Chicago Street Theatre in Valparaiso. Showtimes are at 7 p.m. Fridays, 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. March 11 and 7 p.m. March 15.
The premise of the peculiar play is that “a terrible mistake” was made by the builder when erecting a school; instead of building 30 classrooms side by side, he built them “one on top of another,” according to the theater company.
As demonstrated by children being turned into apples and dead rat dealings, there are strange and wacky goings-on that reflect the work’s key attraction.
“It’s mostly for entertainment value,” director Kari-Anne Innes said. “Its teachers are seen through children’s eyes. We’re trying to keep the children as realistic as possible, but the teachers are teachers as we remember them being, which are often exaggerations of themselves.”
The stage production springs from Louis Sachar’s 1978 children’s book, “Sideways Stories from Wayside School.”
The adventures at “Wayside School” turned into a book series.
The school’s 30th floor is a focal point for the fun and antics that come from Sachar’s books.
Chicago Street Theatre states that it is molding “a ridiculously good time for the entire family” that spans a two-week run.
“I think adults will find it nostalgic,” Innes said. “There is a tango number and a disco number, and the 30th floor has their own orchestra, but it’s not a musical. If there is any message, it’s that everyone is different on the 30th floor; so because everyone is strange, nobody is strange.”
Innes said Sachar makes that point in his writings.
“Also in his book he says everybody has a different way of learning,” Innes said. “So there are children who can’t count, or there’s a girl who can only read upside down. So the classroom really has to work together to achieve their goals.”
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Jason Kaplan, who plays Mr. Gorf. “A lot of strange stuff happens in it. The costumes are really brightly colored and, like, outrageous.”
The set is flush with bold hues and “weird angles,” he said.
“The characters are very strange,” the Valparaiso-area resident said.
“I kind of look at him (Mr. Gorf) like a Jekyll and Hyde kind of character,” the actor said. “It starts out that he’s sort of this dorky, nerdy kind of guy. And then he actually puts the kids under his control. He manipulates them.”
The show’s special effects present a directorial challenge.
“People have to turn into apples and apples have to turn back into people,” Innes said. “There were some elements of puppetry that made it technically a challenge, but also fun to watch and a surprise for the audience.”
Two sets of performers are featured, and have been named the Sideways cast and the Wayside cast. The Sideways cast is scheduled to perform the 2:30 p.m. matinees, while the Wayside cast handles the rest of the shows.
“The Sideways cast is the younger cast; it’s high schoolers playing the adults, and middle and elementary school children playing the students,” Innes, a Valparaiso resident, said. “The Wayside cast is the older cast, with adults playing adults, and middle schoolers and elementary schoolers playing the students.”
Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
‘Sideways Stories from Wayside School’
Where: Chicago Street Theatre, 154 W. Chicago St., Valparaiso
When: March 2-17
Tickets: $12, $15, $25
Information: 219-464-1636, ext. 1; www.chicagostreet.org
