Q&A: 'Jungalbook':TheatreSquared Welcomes Young Audiences
Modern Retelling of Kipling Classic Takes Stage Saturday
Last updated Thursday, June 28, 2007 6:25 PM CDT in Entertainment
By Becca Bacon Martin
THE MORNING NEWS
Related Photos
Don't expect Julie Taymor's "Lion King" when TheatreSquared takes the stage this weekend for "Jungalbook."
"The playwright, Edward Mast, suggested the costumes be play clothes with 'perhaps a claw or two,'" explains director David Pickens. "We embraced that notion and settled on a concept of 'children at play' to illustrate the power of imagination kids apply to storytelling.
"We thought it would be fun and interesting to explore a focus on the story embellished with items readily found in a garage, trunk or closet," he adds. "If you've ever left a large cardboard appliance box in the yard, you'll know what I mean."
That connection with young viewers, Pickens says, makes T2's modern retelling of the classic Rudyard Kipling tale even more poignant. "Through Mowgli's coming of age, the audience is taken on a heartwarming and thought-provoking journey that explores environmental issues as well as themes of tolerance, adversity and ultimately belonging."
TheatreSquared kicks off its 2007-08 season with "Jungalbook," on stage at the Walton Arts Center's Nadine Baum Studios at 2 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and July 6; and at 2 and 6 p.m. July 7. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children online at www.theatresquared.org or by calling 571-2728.
Here, the director and two of the actors answer some questions about their craft:
Q. Why do you act? (Or David, in your case, direct?)
Pickens: I enjoy bringing audience and performer together for a good story well told. My tendency is toward organic storytelling with few technical enhancements. For me, this type of theater raises the stakes, and rewards, for actor and audience. I like to think I'm helping.
Jenny Guy (Sherakhan): It's the only thing that I've ever wanted to do. It makes me happy.
Jacqueline Carey (Mowgli): I am such a child at heart, so the opportunity to live in a world created by my imagination is so much fun for me.
Q. How are the characters you play like you in real life? (David, how did you draw from your life to direct this show?)
Pickens: I remember, as a child, pine cones as grenades, the perfect tree branch a sword, a fort built from limbs and leaves. We absolutely accepted them as real. Total investment of imagination.
Guy: Well, hopefully not in too many ways, since I'm playing the villainous tiger! When Sherakhan sets her mind to something she will pursue it until she gets it; I am also very determined when I have made up my mind to achieve something.
Carey: I think it is easy to relate to Mowgli because I am constantly trying to find my way in life. Just when I feel like I fit in somewhere, it's time to move on and start over.
Q. What (and where) was your first theater experience as a viewer? As an actor?
Pickens: Growing up in rural Louisiana, I don't recall an audience experience until college. I sang and acted in school plays, mostly 'condensed' versions of classic musicals like "Carousel," "Oklahoma!" The first performance I can recall was in a Cub Scout play. I must have been 8 or 9. The mad scientist, "Humidity, schumidity ... bah. 'Tis pain on bunion on foot."
Guy: As a viewer, I was very lucky to have parents that exposed me to theater starting at a very young age. I saw everything from "Oklahoma!" to "The Music Man." As an actor, I got my first taste of the stage in first grade when I was picked to sing "I Swallowed My Tooth for Lunch" in front of my elementary school. I was flattered and immediately hooked on theater. Reflecting back on that experience, my selection probably had less to do with talent and more to do with the fact that I was missing more teeth than anyone else in my class.
Carey: I think my thrill for performing came pretty early when I was a gymnast as a child. I loved "selling" my floor routine to judges at competitions and found theater in high school the year after I quit gymnastics. It was a great way for me to continue being active while finding a new way to express myself. My first role was Annelle in "Steel Magnolias." I was hooked after that. I saw as many musicals through Dallas Summer Musicals and auditioned for everything I could in high school and college.
Q. What one moment of this show will audiences never forget?
Pickens: One of the most touching moments is Mowgli's decision to leave the jungal forever. For comedy, nothing beats two guys playing an elephant with "found objects" as costume pieces.
Guy: There are several wonderful moments in this show; there are sections that I can't help laughing at during rehearsals. But without giving anything away, the last 15 minutes of the show are pretty moving. Kids, bring tissues for your parents!
Carey: The entire show is playful and fun, but I think the most powerful moment is when Mowgli decides to leave for the human village.
5. Why is making theater for children important?
Pickens: I think theater is important for all ages. I'm challenged to think of any more social event. Performer and audience sharing the same air, seeing something of ourselves in the story told. It is an event that exists for one unique moment and cannot be exactly re-created ever. After, we have the opportunity to discuss stories, themes and issues. In a heavily mediated age that seems at times to isolate, theater brings us together. I think that's pretty strong stuff.
Guy: I don't think there are any parents who will say that they want to raise their children without exposing them to the arts. Getting children hooked on the visual and performing arts at a young age is essential for an enriching life. Kids are smart: By making theater that isn't dumbed down or patronizing to them, you appeal to all ages and can hopefully create a generation of lifelong theater patrons.
Carey: As our world is growing more digital, I think it's so important to remind children of their imaginations. Sure they can see any movie on TV, play any video game or spend hours on the computer, but creating their own world and living in it is something kids don't explore much anymore. Theater is such a rewarding way to get them out of the house, on their feet, and active, both physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Family Friendly
"Jungalbook"
Special Events
* Jungalbook Day Camps, 11:30 a.m. to 1:50 p.m. Saturday or Monday. During this workshop, participants will meet actors, use their drama skills to play in the story, create their own project in the T2 Lightbulb Lab, enjoy a snack and prepare to see the 2 p.m. performance of "JungalBook."
Cost is $25 and includes a child's ticket to the play.
* The Jungalbook Back Stage, 4-5 p.m. July 7 before the 6 p.m. performance. Have you ever wanted to see behind the curtain or to find out how the actors memorize so many lines? TheatreSquared invites you and your family to take a tour backstage, talk to actors and participate in a hands-on workshop that will take you deeper into the story. Cost is $20 for families of six or less.
To sign up, call 571-2728.
Reader Comments (No comments posted.)
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.
Not already registered?
