The LightBox Theatre Company is pulling back the curtain Friday at the Carnegie Arts Center on their production of “The Reluctant Dragon.”

Based on an 1898 children’s story by Kenneth Grahame, “The Reluctant Dragon” will have public performances at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday, April 29 and 30 and 2 p.m. on Sunday and May 1. A show also is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday. The production also has three school performances.

The story is about a boy who meets a dragon living in the hills just outside his village. The boy and dragon find that they share a love of reading and poetry and become friends. When the villagers find out about the dragon, however, they quickly call St. George the Dragon Slayer to kill the dragon. The boy convinces St. George that the dragon is not a threat, and they work together to protect the dragon from the villagers.  

LightBox Theatre Company co-founders Stefani Tsai and Eric Broadwater are directing and designing the production, respectively. The play features Yaya Muñoz as the Boy, Mark Hamilton as St. George, and other local actors from the community and Stanislaus State.

“We are extremely excited to bring another fun show to our community’s young audiences this spring,” Tsai said. “This production will feature some awesome audio/visual media designed by my partner Eric that I think people of all ages will really enjoy them.

“It all comes together for an incredible show,” Tsai continued.

The LightBox Theatre Company held its debut production last year at the Carnegie Arts Center and is making plans for their next production.

“We hit the ground running last year and it was a very good experience,” Tsai said. “Our next show will be based on a collection of works from Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera.

Tickets are $12 general admission; $10 for Carnegie Arts Center members; and $8 for youths and students with valid ID. Tickets are available at the Carnegie Arts Center or at http://lightboxforyouth.org.