As Stacey April Fix grew up, Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts gang were there.
"I have great memories of the icons of the 'Peanuts' comic strip during my whole life," said Fix, 53. "They were on the birthday table, on the Christmas tree, in the classroom."
So, it's probably only natural that Fix, of Newbury, eventually turned to the "Peanuts" characters as the plot for a play.
"I think everyone sees a bit of themselves in these characters," Fix said.
Fix has been a playwright for more than a decade and active in the theater for 40 years. Her newest original play, "Blown Away," will be staged at the Firehouse this weekend and consists of an all-child cast of 28 young actors and actresses.
The plot pays homage to Charles Schulz's comic strip, Fix said.
"The overall plot of the play, is how we ... can take those comic strips and bring them to the stage in real time, in real life, and honor his point of view," she said.
During the hourlong play, the audience will see Linus lose his blanket after Lucy uses it to make a kite, Lucy ponder her crush on Schroeder, and Charlie Brown shuffle through some trials and tribulations as he tries "to find confidence and understanding in the world," Fix said.
"It's really for anyone that has ever read and enjoyed the 'Peanuts' comics," she said. "It's for the whole family and bring Grandma, too."
Fix's play is part of the Theater Workshop program through Workshop Arts Inc. The majority of the students in the cast are middle school-aged, as it meets one of the program's missions to reach out to that age group, she added.
"I wanted to create a program that would focus on middle school students," Fix said. The population can be under-served at a time when they begin to make decisions about "how they see themselves in the world," she said.
Middle school is the time when students begin to make healthy social connections and begin to see their emerging artistic side, Fix added.
"Theater Workshop offers so much opportunity for social connection, which is extremely important to middle school students," she said. Auditions were held in December and more than 100 boys and girls attended. They began rehearsing at the end of that month.
"The kids are great," she said. "I believe that this is a very talented group of kids that are working to bring these characters to life in a way that others will truly enjoy them. They're a lovely group of kids to spend time with."
The cast includes: Sergei Franson, Erik March, Alison Russell, Fedja Celebic, Gwynnethe Glickman, Michelle Martens, Ben Hall, Morgan Hall, Sandra Jankowski, Robi Scalfani, Sarah Maggiacomo, Dayna Rybicki, Kylie Smith, Peter Morrison, Grace Shelley, Gordon Hertel, Brendan Mirra, Sean O'Brien, Rebecca Cagney, Sean Denner, Olivia Hurley, Erin Gershuny, Ava Hazo, Kylie Lorenzo, Samantha Lucy, Maggie Peterson, Grace Shelley, Paige Volpone and Emma Walsh.
If you go
What: "Blown Away," an original play by Stacey Fix
When: Friday through Sunday; Fri. and Sat. 7:30 p.m.; Sat. and Sun. 3 p.m.
Where: Firehouse Center for the Arts, Market Square, Newburyport
How: $12 for general public, $10 for students and seniors. To purchase tickets, call the box office at 978-462-7336 or visit online at www.firehouse.org.
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