Candace Cresci
(This article appeared in the August 2, 2002, edition of the Taconic Weekend. Reprinted with permission of the Gazette Advertiser.)
“Watership Down” will be performed at Cocoon Theatre. Candace Cresci reports.
“Watership Down”
Cocoon Theatre, Route 9, Rhinebeck
7 p.m. • Thursday-Saturday
Aug. 1-10
3 p.m. • Sunday, Aug. 4
Cocoon Theatre is currently preparing for this year’s Eighth annual Young Actors Summer Workshop production of the original musical “Watership Down.” The play is based and inspired by Richard Adams’ popular book of the same title.
Thirty Cocoon Theatre students between the ages of 7 and 17 will perform the play. The young cast brings their talent and youthful energy to Cocoon Theatre’s new space, right in the middle of Rhinebeck.
Paul Schubert has provided the vocal direction and the production’s original music. Director Marguerite San Millan has created the lyrics and the new adaptation, which takes the action of the classic book from its pages to the stage.
The result is a respectful, thought-provoking look at the basic dynamics of power, through the use of animals.
“Animals are so like men, and men so like animals, where is the balance for us all,” a song lyric reads.
San Millan’s adaptation takes the popular novel about rabbits searching for a new home and plays them with child actors. The play is set in a mythological world, depicted by sets created by artist Andres San Millan. The costumes are creations of Dawn Jardine. Together, they weave a web of make-believe that will transport the audience into a magical fantasy-land they have never known.
The play offers many opportunities for thought, and the layers of interpretation are endless. The audience will be confronted with deep questions about humanity, which are relevant to current issues, as well a s the past, including, “What are we doing?” “Who am I?” “What can I do?” and “Is there an ultimate right?”
“It is amazing how perceptive the children in the play can be,” says Marguerite San Millan. “One 10-year-old told me, ‘I think Act I is like the founding of America, and Act II is like what is going on in Afghanistan.’ It blew my mind that he was able to come up with that on his own.”
San Millan chose “Watership Down” for the production because of the strong impression the book left in her mind from her youth.
“I was looking for an adventure story that both boys and girls would be lured to,” says San Millan. “Watership Down” provided a fairy tale with enough action to keep the boys interested.
“The play provides a lot for the little ones involved in it,” says San Millan “Since we have a number of young actors, I was able to create roles just for them.”
Since the play is about animals, San Millan can easily add more rabbits to the production to accommodate the number of actors, something that could not be done with a play that has specific characters.
The Young Actors Summer Workshop is a learning experience, and all the students involved in the program participate in the production. The children audition for parts in class, but unlike most productions where the director casts certain people for certain characters, the children are able to chose what role they want.
“The Summer Workshop teaches the importance of ensemble performances,” says San Millan. “There is no one star of the show.”
The rehearsals for the show are intense because the children have only three weeks to prepare from the time they receive their scripts till opening night.
“The children decided to do the entire, uncut production,” says San Millan. “They agreed to rehearse for longer periods of time in order to get the production ready.”
The children rehearse for six hours a day, Monday through Friday. San Millan says, “It is a long time for the children to work on the same thing, but their focus is good during the rehearsals.”
San Millan had a career as a dancer and choreographer in New York City. Today, she enjoys working with children because of their open hearts and intelligence.
“Children are less jaded, and have no preconceived notions or baggage,” she says. “I enjoy providing entertainment that reaches the children and gives them something to think about.”
Not all the aspects of the play will be understood by young children. However, San Millan urges parents to use the play as a learning tool.
“If your children have questions about an idea or something they do not understand, then take the time to talk to them about it,” says San Millan.
Cocoon Theatre’s production of “Watership Down” is shaping up to be a great way to expand your mind to new ideas, while enjoying a production performed by some talented local youth.
Candace saw a rabbit that changed her perception of reality once, but then realized she was having a nightmare after reading “Alice in Wonderland.”