When I watch a really great stage production, I’m usually caught
up in the story. But during intermission, I often find myself
pondering a number of questions. How did the set designer come up
with the concept? Why did the director choose to set the play in
that era/city/whatever? Why was that particular actor chosen for
that particular role? What if a character were interpreted
differently? What if a performer chose a different expression or
movement?
Directors color their productions based on budget, the
performance location, and many other elements, but always with a
unique vision, so that no two productions can ever be alike. I
found the in-depth background on the musings, plans, physical
constraints, and schemes that are resulting in one very distinctive
local production.
Since last September, Conrad Bishop, who is directing the
Independent Eye’s September 2009 premiere of Dreaming the Tempest,
has been blogging online regularly about his efforts to produce his
original version of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, using
dramatic-scale puppetry to portray the play’s characters. When I
started reading the blog, I figured I’d just check in from time to
time to see how the production is shaping up. Instead, I’ve gotten
sucked into the amazing saga of workshops, storyboards, and
research, as Bishop examines every nuance of Shakespeare’s
intentions. According to one of Bishop’s earliest entries,
“Production research is a bit like beach-combing: you sift through
a vast seacoast of pebbles, shells, seaweed, and start wondering
‘Why the hell am I doing this?’ And then suddenly, something
glitters.”
The story of Prospero, the difficult-to-like protagonist, who
seeks revenge, control, knowledge, and redemption, has been said by
many to be a reflection of Shakespeare himself. As Bishop explains,
Prospero is “desperately struggling against his worst instincts,
seeing his life as a wasteland of confusion, seeking freedom. And
finding it.”
But while Bishop studied what drives each character, phrase, and
plot shift, he also had to move forward with costume collaboration,
set designs (video projections; muslin with text overlay), funding
(seeking grants, donations, partnership with Sonoma County
Repertory Theater), staging, music, actor workshops, and eventually
rehearsals. Plus, he had to create the puppets that the actors
would manipulate.
In addition to my fascination for Bishop’s philosophical
character musings, I’ve been caught up in the evolution of those
puppets. Puppetry is a frequent mechanism of Independent Eye
productions. In this particular production, they align perfectly
with the story’s plot, as Bishop views Prospero as “the absolute
puppet-master, with his own well-crafted scenario to right all
wrongs.” But the choice of puppets also allows the viewer to focus
on the character, eliminating a tendency to equate the actor with
the role. Puppets also allow more freedom, since they can behave as
humans cannot. “The puppet can fly, transform, change heads,
disassemble, plunge suddenly into a metaphoric image.” Still, the
static form required Bishop to weigh the expression and facial
features for each mask carefully.
Puppetry doesn’t eliminate the need for experienced actors,
though, and a series of workshops have helped the performers
understand how to move the puppets to convey the various emotions
and history of their character. For each puppet, the actor uses one
hand to hold the rod that braces the puppet’s head, and uses the
other hand as one of the puppet’s hands. Gestures become a primary
focal point to convey meaning and emotion, so the actors must learn
to communicate with broad movements.
After reading about 100 pages of Bishop’s blog, I am left with
awe and wonder about how someone can possibly sort through all the
possibilities, and the impact of each choice along the way. Read
his blog yourself, then see the play. Be prepared to be amazed.
Dreaming the Tempest runs September 18 – October 18 at Sonoma
County Rep in Sebastopol. For ticket info, go to the-rep.com. For Conrad Bishop’s amazing
blog, go to www.independenteye.org, and
click on News.
– Carol (Kiki) Noack, marketing, Raven Performing Arts
Theater.
