When was the last time you were part of a fairy tale?
In “The Blind Princess, A Fairytale of Enchantment and Music,” Hood River audiences are not only seeing and hearing a full-fledged tale of deception, loyalty and love, they are at times a part of it.

Be ready to shout out some lines, including a hearty “Yahoo!” and sing along with characters in Bill Weiler’s original musical fairy tale, now on stage at CAST (see box for ticket and showtime information). Jim Bull directs.

The title blind princess, Mei-Lei, despairs as a string of magicians and doctors try to cure her of her blindness. Her father, the Emperor Ming, has offered riches to anyone who succeeds.

Meanwhile, the Emperor Scorpion of a rivalrous neighboring kingdom offers what appears to be unity by way of marriage to his son, Prince Vulture, but Ming’s devoted Chamberlain loves Mei-Lei. But who has stolen the magic sparrow’s mate and can the birds be reunited in time to save Ming’s country?

The action, and there is plenty of it, is linked by the two sparrows and a mystical walking staff borne by a mysterious old woman with a surprise or two.

The result is a humorous, endearing tale that unfolds in ways you might not expect.

“Our prayers will be answered when we least expect it,” says one character early on.

“I can make you see; anything can happen, it could be today,” says another.

Along the way there is romance without the mush (the play can be enjoyed by children as well as adults) and humor (thanks mainly to a sardonic “seeing-eye pig,” the cheerily villainous Scorpion, and a traveling magician who nearly steals the scene along with some other things.)

There’s also a fight scene, a magician’s bag of tricks, a night-time horse ride, an escape from a jail, and even a man who does a dance in a lady’s frock.

Weiler, a fish and wildlife biologist for the State of Washington, began writing “Princess” as a cartoon screenplay years ago, but Bull convinced him to take it off the shelf and rework it as a stage musical.

“Bill and I have been at this for the past three years, practically full-time,” Bull said.

“This has been the most enriching creative enterprise I’ve ever been involved in,” said Bull, a veteran CAST director and performer.

“It’s been a wonderful experience,” said Weiler. “I’ve never been involved in anything like this,” he said, adding that learning about props, lighting, movement of actors (known as blocking) and other production realities have helped his story evolve from paper to a live theatrical entity.

Bull and Weiler collaborated with costume designer Michelle Sandoz, and a variety of people who worked up the atmospheric sets — Victoria Rowe, Mary Fassel, Bud Pepitone, and others.

The elaborate costumes, sets and props are all propelled by a multi-generational cast of performers, ranging in age from second grade to their seventies.

That is hardly unique for the community theater CAST troupe. But Weiler and Bull wanted as many children involved in the production as possible, not just in the cast and the audience, but with the production design itself.

What is unique is the joining of the theater production with an in-school art project at Mid Valley and Pine Grove Elementary Schools. Projected behind the action are backdrop scenery images, drawn by the students under the guidance of artists-in-residence Shelley Toon-Hight and Leith Gaines.

During the show, they change with the scenery, and help set the stage and mood in the numerous and quickly-changing scenes.

Images not used on stage are on display in the lobby along with other unrelated student art works.

“I love the community aspect of this production,” Weiler said.