This weekend in the Poe Theater 25 Midcoast students in grades 3-8 will present their work in Heartwood’s seventh annual Winter Drama Adventure. Three plays, “Firebird” ( the longest), and two shorts, “Kantan” and “The Damask Drum,” will be performed, combining elements of Japanese theater styles: Kabuki, Kyogen, and Noh.
These styles make use of movement, masks, narrators to help tell the story, musicians who play throughout, and lots of very colorful costumes, wigs, and hand props. Plays of this style and period were written in poetic form, much of which has been kept for this production. The Noh theater was built almost entirely of fine wood, including a raised platform, roof and a long walkway for actors to enter the stage. These traditions have been preserved in this production, and the Poe Theater stage has been designed for this purpose, in a unique way.
These young actors have learned a great deal throughout this process. The same "tools" are required to present ANY style of theater: voice, movement, interpretation, music etc., but presenting in this very different style has ushered students into an alternate space, beyond their daily norms, where they can more easily focus on the material and presentation.
Three young poetry readers will introduce each piece, presenting brief haiku length poems containing images from the plays. Poetic images and ideas about honor, family, love and regret were abundant in Japanese plays.
“Firebird” tells the story of an Empress with three sons who are vying for the Kingdom. A magical firebird is the key to restoring honor and balance to the kingdom.
In “Kantan” a young man goes in search of greatness, sleeps on a magic pillow, and sees his whole future in a dream.
“The Damask Drum” tells of a lovely young princess who teases her old gardener, who has been secretly in love with her for many years. She challenges him to sound a drum in a tree by the pond, knowing it will not sound. After running away in grief, the gardener returns years later, to prove his devotion and win her heart.
Actors will also be performing for their peers, as students from several Midcoast schools attend three daytime performances in the Poe Theater, this week.
The three public performances are scheduled in the Poe Theater at Lincoln Academy: Friday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $5/students and $10/adults. Reservations available by contacting Heartwood: 563-1373 / info@heartwoodtheater.org /www.heartwoodtheater.org.
This program is made possible, in part, by Heartwood’s season sponsors, Bath Savings Institution and Granite Hall Estates, Season Youth Sponsors, HM Payson and Damariscotta Hardware, and show sponsors, Chesterfield Associates. Student tickets are guaranteed at $5 for every show this season, by sponsors Peapod Jewelry and First National Wealth Management.
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January 30, 2020 at 01:02AM
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