HARRISON – He might have been able to fool the queen, but that imp Rumplestiltskin couldn’t fool 240 elementary school students Thursday.

They knew exactly who he was.

A professional acting group, Children’s Theater Association from Baltimore, completed a six-school tour in three days with a final stop at the Harrison Elementary School to present their version of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale.

This is the second year in a row that the troupe was able to visit schools in SAD 17.

Tom Watkins, whose daughter attends the Harrison school, said the interest in bringing the group to Maine started when Nicky and Frank Howell of Oxford were talking with their friend Jimi Hill, who is a member of the cast.

Watkins said Hill sent them information and the trio began inquiries on fund-raising.

“It took about $5,000 to bring them here for six shows,” Watkins said. Money was raised by local businesses, donations and Down East Inc., a military contractor business in Bridgton.

The acting troupe performed at the Hebron Station School, Hebron, and the Guy E. Rowe School in Norway on Tuesday. On Wednesday they were at the Agnes Grey Elementary School in West Paris and the Otisfield Community School. They performed at the Stevens Brook Elementary School in Bridgton, part of SAD 61, on Thursday morning before traveling to Harrison in the afternoon.

Priscilla Grow, stage manager for the troupe, said most of the shows Children’s Theater performs are in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and their road trip is usually no longer than two days.

“As you can see, now we’ll go anywhere,” Grow said. “We just pack up the van, the trailer and then we’re gone.”

She said after the Harrison performance the troupe was packing up for Paxtang in Dauphin County, Penn. She said it took them about 13 hours to drive to Maine from Baltimore.

Children’s Theater employs 13 actors and four production members, according to Grow. She said the two vans, two trailers and two public address systems stay busy throughout the school year, and that the season will pretty much end when schools close for the summer in June.

The acting troupe visiting Harrison is comprised of Jimi Hill, who played the miller; Krissy Poole, who played Glady the narrator; Kristin Barnes, who played Annette the miller’s daughter and then queen; Wayne Willinger who played Rumplestiltskin and the king.

“This was a totally stress-free week for us,” Grow said. “The children were totally appreciative. This made the whole season worthwhile.”

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