This past week I was part of a really exciting project in an early developmental phase. As much as I would love to be totally honest and forthcoming about the exact name, content, nature and details of the project, I fear this might somehow infringe on the rights of those involved. Therefore, I’m going to create, expound, exaggerate and change the people, places, and events of the following story. But at its core is some fundamental truth.
No animals were harmed in the development of this story.
(Annabelle, if you read this, contact me. I owe you a coffee.)
“I’d like to present to you ‘The Final Race,’ a sweet little story that puts a modern spin on the classic tale of the Tortoise and the Hare,” Marcus begins his introduction. We’re in a small lab space in front of a workshop group gathered to provide feedback and help us progress to our next phase of production. The space is an attic room of an old office building, divided in half by a wall that barely muffles the sounds of what is either a preschool class or a herd of elephants chasing a bunch of baby goats. Marcus has been developing the concept of this theatre piece for more than six months, but the four of us have only met twice before now to put together this scene for feedback.
“The purpose of this session,” Marcus explains, “is to get your opinions on two specific questions I have. First - is the scene clearer in PANTOMIME or DIALOGUE; and second - who do you see as the hero of the story?” General nods of understanding ripple through the group (there’s Gwendolyn, a 50-something Earth Mother who wears silky flowing layers of colorful clothes and smells like patchouli; Rodney, mid-30’s, workshop-leader and minute-taker, who starts and/or finishes every sentence with “essentially,” i.e. “Essentially, you’re explaining to us, essentially, the premise of your stage piece, and I’m essentially taking notes on what is said, essentially the body of this meeting along with, essentially, the reactions to your performance. Essentially.” There’s Linda, who’s about 40, with mousy-colored hair, a mousy expression and a quiet squeaky voice; George, the jolly laid-back fellow who brought the breadsticks; and, finally, Annabelle, an actress who has never attended these workshops before.). “The scene you are about to see takes place in a pasture, “ Marcus continues, “and the characters will be wearing plain primary-colored robes accented with white. Here you see the climax of the story, in which the Tortoise wins the race and the Hare curses his bad luck.” Marcus is interrupted by a loud thumping from next door, followed by a few feeble blasts from a tuba (the elephants have band practice next?) and Marcus repeats, more loudly, “the Hare curses his bad luck. So you see, the Hare is very upset by this turn of events, and we follow his inner struggle. We’ll start with the pantomime version, and follow with the dialogue version, and I look forward to your feedback regarding my questions. Thank you.”
And, accompanied by the belching tubas next door, we proceed to pantomime our modern version of the Tortoise and the Hare, then to go through the scene again with dialogue.
Marcus kicks off the workshop discussion – “Let’s begin with the first question: was the scene clearer in PANTOMIME or DIALOGUE?” Pouncing on the glottal stop of “dialogue,” Annabelle responds: “Pantomime. Absolutely. I thought the dialogue was boring and unclear, and the pantomime was far more entertaining and enjoyable.”
Gwendolyn: “I disagree. I liked the scene better in dialogue, not only because I felt it allowed more interaction between the actors and therefore more development of each character, but also because it provided more layers of possibility. I think we can discuss the deeper implications of the relationship between Tortoise, Hare, and Fox, and also how to change the scene to bring out the specific qualities you wish to highlight. The dialogue version is both more interesting and clearer for the audience.”
George: “Yeah. Dialogue. Definitely. Who wants a breadstick?”
Marcus (writing in his notebook): “Thank you, these opinions are really helpful. Anyone else? Linda?”
Linda (wrinkling her nose in thought): “Yesss... I liked certain elements of both versions, but I’d have to say on the whole I thought the scene with dialogue was stronger and clearer.”
Rodney: “Essentially, the group is leaning toward the dialogue version. I’m with the group. Essentially.”
Marcus: “OK, great! Moving on to the next question – ”
Annabelle (interrupting): “I’m sorry, can I just add onto that? I liked the pantomime version, but I really liked the scene in dialogue. There was a lot going on between the actors, you know, so that they could really TALK to each other and they didn’t have to, like, mime everything. You know? That just made it so much clearer and more interesting for me. As an audience.”
Marcus: “Thank you – ”
Annabelle (continuing): “Yeah, and you know, I just really SAW the Tortoise, and the Hare, and the Fox in the second one. The dialogue one. You know. But I also HEARD them. And that, to me, is so important. You know. In theatre. And acting. So it just really held my attention and had me asking WHY. You know? The dialogue one. So I just liked that one way better. Yeah, I couldn’t really CONNECT to the pantomime one. You know?”
Marcus: “…OK. Great! Some really excellent points there. That really gives me a feel of how an audience might respond to the pantomime version versus the dialogue version. So thank you all for your opinions about that. Now, moving on –”
Annabelle (smiling): “You’re welcome.”
Marcus (quickly): “So, moving on to my next question – who did you see as the hero of the story?”
Annabelle: “Yeah, that’s a great question. You know, for me, it was clearly the Fox. You know. Because he was all like, in the background, you know? But then he came in at the end, at the most important part, sort of RISING UP, you know? And that’s really important. To me. And to, you know, humanity.”
During this discussion, I had discreetly changed out of my costume and back into my normal clothes, packed up my bag, and slinked to the far corner nearest the elephant tuba wall. One of my fellow actors had slipped out of the room already, and I had been contemplating doing the same, until I realized I really needed to hear all of Annabelle’s wisdom. I took mental notes.
Gwendolyn: “You know, that’s an interesting take on the story, Annabelle. For me, the hero was clearly the Hare. And I thought it was really daring how you changed the traditional spin of the story that way, Marcus. The audience really followed the plight of the Hare, and we almost resented the Tortoise for beating him in the end. I think you could capitalize even more on the Hare’s vulnerability and his struggle. We can discuss ways to make the audience identify with him even more.”
George (chewing): “The Hare. Right. Brilliant. Breadstick?”
Marcus: “Can I just jump in? I feel I should share with you that I was, in fact, hoping that the audience would identify with the Hare. Gwendolyn, I think you hit the nail on the head there. Thank you for summarizing that so eloquently. Now moving on to the final question – ”
Annabelle (clapping): “Yeah, right? Gwendolyn, you are SO RIGHT! You know, as I was watching, I just found myself DRAWN to the Hare. You know? Like, how can this journey, this HUMAN journey, be any more COMPELLING. More HEROIC. Right? It’s like, just.” (shaking her head)
Marcus: “…OK. Great! So, – ”
Annabelle: “You know, why do we CALL him the ‘Hare’? Right? It’s like, all these QUESTIONS.” (shaking her head)
Marcus: “…Right. Yes. It’s true, one of the main points of theatre is to make us ask those important questions. Which brings me to my final point – are there any overall questions or comments or improvements you think I need to keep in mind as I move forward with this project?”
Annabelle: “And, you know, WHAT IF the FOX were the hero? You know? How would THAT change the story?”
(silence)
Gwendolyn: “You know, I had some specific ideas for your lighting design, and if you’d like to get together to discuss that later, I’d be happy to share them with you, or even to help out in a more hands-on way. I think you can combine lighting with costume in some creative ways to help highlight some of the more important plot points, and also help bring out certain aspects of the character relationships.”
Marcus: “Interesting. I’d love to – ”
Annabelle: “Yeah, and SOUND design.” (shakes her head)
(silence)
Marcus: “OK, great! I think this has been a really helpful session, and I look forward to meeting again next month. Thank you all for your time and input!”
Annabelle: “I mean, QUESTIONS. You know? Like, what is the Hare FEELING? What is he WEARING? Where IS he, really? You know? From an acting standpoint.”
At this point, there was a particularly loud cacophony of thumping, tubas, and some sort of high-pitched screeching, which allowed us to burst into laughter, comments on the attic space and the plight of the theatre professional, and the success of the evening.
I guess Annabelle will be left with her questions.
No animals were harmed in the development of this story.
(Annabelle, if you read this, contact me. I owe you a coffee.)
“I’d like to present to you ‘The Final Race,’ a sweet little story that puts a modern spin on the classic tale of the Tortoise and the Hare,” Marcus begins his introduction. We’re in a small lab space in front of a workshop group gathered to provide feedback and help us progress to our next phase of production. The space is an attic room of an old office building, divided in half by a wall that barely muffles the sounds of what is either a preschool class or a herd of elephants chasing a bunch of baby goats. Marcus has been developing the concept of this theatre piece for more than six months, but the four of us have only met twice before now to put together this scene for feedback.
“The purpose of this session,” Marcus explains, “is to get your opinions on two specific questions I have. First - is the scene clearer in PANTOMIME or DIALOGUE; and second - who do you see as the hero of the story?” General nods of understanding ripple through the group (there’s Gwendolyn, a 50-something Earth Mother who wears silky flowing layers of colorful clothes and smells like patchouli; Rodney, mid-30’s, workshop-leader and minute-taker, who starts and/or finishes every sentence with “essentially,” i.e. “Essentially, you’re explaining to us, essentially, the premise of your stage piece, and I’m essentially taking notes on what is said, essentially the body of this meeting along with, essentially, the reactions to your performance. Essentially.” There’s Linda, who’s about 40, with mousy-colored hair, a mousy expression and a quiet squeaky voice; George, the jolly laid-back fellow who brought the breadsticks; and, finally, Annabelle, an actress who has never attended these workshops before.). “The scene you are about to see takes place in a pasture, “ Marcus continues, “and the characters will be wearing plain primary-colored robes accented with white. Here you see the climax of the story, in which the Tortoise wins the race and the Hare curses his bad luck.” Marcus is interrupted by a loud thumping from next door, followed by a few feeble blasts from a tuba (the elephants have band practice next?) and Marcus repeats, more loudly, “the Hare curses his bad luck. So you see, the Hare is very upset by this turn of events, and we follow his inner struggle. We’ll start with the pantomime version, and follow with the dialogue version, and I look forward to your feedback regarding my questions. Thank you.”
And, accompanied by the belching tubas next door, we proceed to pantomime our modern version of the Tortoise and the Hare, then to go through the scene again with dialogue.
Marcus kicks off the workshop discussion – “Let’s begin with the first question: was the scene clearer in PANTOMIME or DIALOGUE?” Pouncing on the glottal stop of “dialogue,” Annabelle responds: “Pantomime. Absolutely. I thought the dialogue was boring and unclear, and the pantomime was far more entertaining and enjoyable.”
Gwendolyn: “I disagree. I liked the scene better in dialogue, not only because I felt it allowed more interaction between the actors and therefore more development of each character, but also because it provided more layers of possibility. I think we can discuss the deeper implications of the relationship between Tortoise, Hare, and Fox, and also how to change the scene to bring out the specific qualities you wish to highlight. The dialogue version is both more interesting and clearer for the audience.”
George: “Yeah. Dialogue. Definitely. Who wants a breadstick?”
Marcus (writing in his notebook): “Thank you, these opinions are really helpful. Anyone else? Linda?”
Linda (wrinkling her nose in thought): “Yesss... I liked certain elements of both versions, but I’d have to say on the whole I thought the scene with dialogue was stronger and clearer.”
Rodney: “Essentially, the group is leaning toward the dialogue version. I’m with the group. Essentially.”
Marcus: “OK, great! Moving on to the next question – ”
Annabelle (interrupting): “I’m sorry, can I just add onto that? I liked the pantomime version, but I really liked the scene in dialogue. There was a lot going on between the actors, you know, so that they could really TALK to each other and they didn’t have to, like, mime everything. You know? That just made it so much clearer and more interesting for me. As an audience.”
Marcus: “Thank you – ”
Annabelle (continuing): “Yeah, and you know, I just really SAW the Tortoise, and the Hare, and the Fox in the second one. The dialogue one. You know. But I also HEARD them. And that, to me, is so important. You know. In theatre. And acting. So it just really held my attention and had me asking WHY. You know? The dialogue one. So I just liked that one way better. Yeah, I couldn’t really CONNECT to the pantomime one. You know?”
Marcus: “…OK. Great! Some really excellent points there. That really gives me a feel of how an audience might respond to the pantomime version versus the dialogue version. So thank you all for your opinions about that. Now, moving on –”
Annabelle (smiling): “You’re welcome.”
Marcus (quickly): “So, moving on to my next question – who did you see as the hero of the story?”
Annabelle: “Yeah, that’s a great question. You know, for me, it was clearly the Fox. You know. Because he was all like, in the background, you know? But then he came in at the end, at the most important part, sort of RISING UP, you know? And that’s really important. To me. And to, you know, humanity.”
During this discussion, I had discreetly changed out of my costume and back into my normal clothes, packed up my bag, and slinked to the far corner nearest the elephant tuba wall. One of my fellow actors had slipped out of the room already, and I had been contemplating doing the same, until I realized I really needed to hear all of Annabelle’s wisdom. I took mental notes.
Gwendolyn: “You know, that’s an interesting take on the story, Annabelle. For me, the hero was clearly the Hare. And I thought it was really daring how you changed the traditional spin of the story that way, Marcus. The audience really followed the plight of the Hare, and we almost resented the Tortoise for beating him in the end. I think you could capitalize even more on the Hare’s vulnerability and his struggle. We can discuss ways to make the audience identify with him even more.”
George (chewing): “The Hare. Right. Brilliant. Breadstick?”
Marcus: “Can I just jump in? I feel I should share with you that I was, in fact, hoping that the audience would identify with the Hare. Gwendolyn, I think you hit the nail on the head there. Thank you for summarizing that so eloquently. Now moving on to the final question – ”
Annabelle (clapping): “Yeah, right? Gwendolyn, you are SO RIGHT! You know, as I was watching, I just found myself DRAWN to the Hare. You know? Like, how can this journey, this HUMAN journey, be any more COMPELLING. More HEROIC. Right? It’s like, just.” (shaking her head)
Marcus: “…OK. Great! So, – ”
Annabelle: “You know, why do we CALL him the ‘Hare’? Right? It’s like, all these QUESTIONS.” (shaking her head)
Marcus: “…Right. Yes. It’s true, one of the main points of theatre is to make us ask those important questions. Which brings me to my final point – are there any overall questions or comments or improvements you think I need to keep in mind as I move forward with this project?”
Annabelle: “And, you know, WHAT IF the FOX were the hero? You know? How would THAT change the story?”
(silence)
Gwendolyn: “You know, I had some specific ideas for your lighting design, and if you’d like to get together to discuss that later, I’d be happy to share them with you, or even to help out in a more hands-on way. I think you can combine lighting with costume in some creative ways to help highlight some of the more important plot points, and also help bring out certain aspects of the character relationships.”
Marcus: “Interesting. I’d love to – ”
Annabelle: “Yeah, and SOUND design.” (shakes her head)
(silence)
Marcus: “OK, great! I think this has been a really helpful session, and I look forward to meeting again next month. Thank you all for your time and input!”
Annabelle: “I mean, QUESTIONS. You know? Like, what is the Hare FEELING? What is he WEARING? Where IS he, really? You know? From an acting standpoint.”
At this point, there was a particularly loud cacophony of thumping, tubas, and some sort of high-pitched screeching, which allowed us to burst into laughter, comments on the attic space and the plight of the theatre professional, and the success of the evening.
I guess Annabelle will be left with her questions.
