Big Bad Wolf Faces Mock Trial in Eastern Oregon Regional Theatre

Eastern Oregon Regional Theatre in Baker City will stage The Big Bad Musical, a fast-paced youth production that frames the Big Bad Wolf as a defendant in a class-action-style trial where the audience acts as the jury. The production opens with an opening-night ticket special and runs Fridays and Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. on Feb. 13–15 and Feb. 20–22, 2026.

Directors Cindy Ratterman and Channin Becker present a courtroom conceit in which fairy-tale characters bring accusations and witnesses against the Wolf. “He goes on trial for all the bad things he’s done,” said Cindy Ratterman, adding that “The audience is the jury.” Prosecuting roles are handled by the Fairy Godmothers, and the defense is led by the Evil Stepsisters, a setup that the production uses to coax conflicting testimony and leave culpability ambiguous. One prosecuting line in the script has Fairy Godmother Flora declare, “Consumption of a live human being is a felony!” The Wolf is given moments of pathos in the script, asking, “Why won’t anyone understand what it’s like for everyone to hate you?”

The cast of 22 features local youth actors Skuli Webb, Daisy Burns, Elizabeth Gibbons, Annabelle Hatfield, Annalee Phillips, Kate Loennig, Scarlett Scott, Ava Carman, Ellie Bagenski, Brandt Peterson, Cayden Sandberg, Tobias Lee, Rogue Groth, Mia Never Miss A Shot, Eliana Pryor, Connell Haberle, Sarah Connor, Payton Peppers, Zoe Griffin, Marquesa Peterson, Finley Thomas and Levi Howard. Rogue Groth is cast as the Big Bad Wolf. Elizabeth Gibbons appears as Fairy Godmother Flora and Annalee Phillips is pictured as Little Red Riding Hood in production photography that highlights a courtroom-style witness scene.

Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $13 for EORT members, and $8 for students, with a $12 opening-night special on Feb. 13. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 541-523-9652 or at the door, and are available online through the Eastern Oregon Regional Theatre website.

The trial conceit has local and educational resonance beyond Baker City. Schools and courthouse programs have used similar mock trials to teach legal procedure, civic skills and public speaking. A Triway Junior High mock trial returned a student-jury verdict of not guilty on four counts after a modified fairy-tale script, with guest judge Timothy VanSickle urging students to judge under the standard of guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.” A separate courthouse mock trial in Corpus Christi staged in 2023 involved student attorneys, a courtroom sketch artist and testimony that probed witness reliability and motives.

For Baker County residents, The Big Bad Musical offers family-oriented entertainment that doubles as a civic exercise in deliberation: audience members will practice listening to testimony, weighing evidence and reaching a verdict. Those who want to attend can call 541-523-9652, buy tickets at the theatre box office, or use the theatre’s online ticketing to reserve seats for performances Feb. 13–15 and Feb. 20–22.