The historic Magnolia Theatre invites you to come and enjoy the magical wonders of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe this weekend in downtown New Albany, Mississippi, April 10-13.
For those who might not recall, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the story of the four Pevensie siblings and their travels through a magical wardrobe into the land of Narnia, where evil confronts good, as the White Witch tries to destroy the great lion Aslan.
Adapted from Book 2 in the allegorical series by C.S. Lewis titled The Narnia Chronicles, this stage production is a story that celebrates the best of life: faith, hope, love, courage, and selfless generosity.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the first production of the 2025 season for Magnolia Theatre. It is also the first production for Jay Schaum as the new artistic director of New Albany’s Magnolia Civic Center and Cine’ Theatre.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe happens to be a first for Avery Easterling too, as the assistant director to Schaum for this live stage production. Easterling is a junior at East Union High School, and she is joined by a cast and crew filled with students from North Mississippi.
Auditions for this production took place in January, and its 28 student actors, ages 6-18, and 6 adult participants, along with numerous behind-the-scenes volunteers, are a mix of theatre veterans and new faces. This combination resulted in impressive onstage chemistry, according to Easterling.
“I am amazed at their talent and hard work,” she said. “Watching their first live performance on Thursday was absolutely magical.”
Equally impressive for Easterling was working with Schaum as he seamlessly brought the allegory of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe straight off the pages of this timeless children’s tale onto the Magnolia Theatre stage.
“Even though I knew and loved this story so much,” Easterling explained, “Mr. Jay [Schaum] helped us portray it so vividly that for the first time, all the elements of C.S. Lewis’s allegorical story of the Bible became so clear to me.”
For Schaum, Easterling, and every participant in this 2025 season opener, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has truly been a magical, memory-making experience.
So, don’t miss out on your chance to join in the magic of this weekend’s production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at Magnolia Theatre in New Albany, Mississippi.
Details on show times, tickets, and driving directions to the historic Magnolia Theatre are available online at magnoliatheatrenewalbany.simpletix.com/. Or visit the Magnolia Theatre Facebook page at facebook.com/magnoliaciviccenter.
