Princesses Galore at Drama Club Fundraiser

Who needs the "D-word" place when you can hang with princesses right here in Avon?

is a family-friendly fundraiser for Drama Club. It will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 5. Children can meet their favorite fairy-tale princes and princesses, enjoy snacks, face-painting, photos with the characters, and a performance.

Tickets are $15 and are available at .

The event was the idea of Drama Club secretary Laurel Plzak.

"I never got over my love of princesses," she said.

Plzak is directing the show and is also playing her favorite princess, Rapunzel. She'll put extensions into her already long blond hair to look the part.

Plzak is helping the princes and princesses stay in character by giving them character histories to learn, so they can answer questions from and talk with the children in character. During Tuesday's rehearsal, she had each couple answering questions about everything from how the met to what life in their castle was like.

Evan Andersky is helping with choreographing the dance routines and helping the actors move about in royal style.

Playing a princess may be fun, but it's also challenging, said sophomore Ashley Romoser, who will be Cinderella.

First, all 11 of her piercings have to come out. And there's the challenge of staying in character every moment, not just during the performance. She'll be singing and dancing around the tables, but also will be talking and posing with the children.

"It's like improv," she said. "We have to walk and talk like princes and princesses. We have to move like them and dance like them. It's hard because I'm not that graceful."

Junior Erin McNamee loves princesses, too, but her favorites are the bolder, stronger ones such as Meg in Hercules and Mulan.

She's playing Snow White, a much more passive character, she said.

"It's hard without the dwarves to play off of to bring her to life," she said. "The main thing with her is to be happy and polite all the time."

But the challenge is worth it, she said.

"I can't wait to see the look on the kids' faces as they're watching us and talking with us," she said.

"They're the whole point of the show," Plzak said of the children attending. "I hope they like it."