Pegasus Playhouse, a new theater company for young people, opens its first show this weekend when the original musical Too Many Princesses: A Feminist Fable kicks off at Lane Community College’s Ragozzino Theatre.

Pegasus is the brainchild of Scott Frazier-Maskiell, who has worked in musical theater education for three decades.

He says Pegasus aims to raise the bar on youth theater in town by presenting classic plays and musicals as well as original works.

“I grew up in New York and I actually ran a school for kids in theater out there for a long time,” Frazier-Maskiell says.

Pegasus will focus more on quality and less on numbers, he says. “I’m not using like 50 kids in this show. I’m using like 20 to 30. I want to pursue more of a vibe, maybe a higher level of excellence and acting and things like that.”

Too Many Princesses is written and directed by Frazier-Maskiell. It tells the story of a mythical land where every girl is born a princess and addresses issues from gender roles to male toxicity. “There’s about 17 princesses. I’ve double-cast most of the young leads so that everybody can kind of have a shot, and I’ve got some very talented kids in the piece.” 

 Ashley Apelzin, known for her work onstage at Actors Cabaret of Eugene, is vocal director for the show.

Pegasus is organized as a nonprofit and has grant support from the Oregon Community Foundation as well as a list of private donors.

Its initial season will include a holiday show this winter and a production of Matilda in the spring, Frazier-Maskiell says.

Too Many Princesses opens 7 pm Friday, Sept. 27, and runs for six performances through Oct. 5 at LCC. Tickets are $15 at PegasusPlayhouse.com or 615-300-4807.

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