Beginning

After previously participating in eight productions at Story Theater Company, it is wonderful to be participating in another show. However, I am always amazed that a show is never just “another show” at Story Theater Company. We explore every aspect of every production and every character, and each ensemble creates a new and fascinating new product. The process of discovering this show has already begun, and I am sure that, with a lot of hard work, we will be able to create a truly beautiful piece of theater.

First, we had the read-through, a rehearsal in which we explore the story for the first time, put our initial thoughts into the playing space, and begin to develop a tightly-knit ensemble. Story Theater Company has begun to do read-throughs in a very unique way. Instead of sitting in a circle and reading our lines, we go into the center, the playing space, and act out our scenes. Each time that we have done a read-through this way, I understand more advantages of this system. Last Saturday, I discovered that being in the center forces you to actively explore the story. You care more about what other characters are doing when you are watching them, which is essential to creating the most interesting play. Other characters can influence your character, as well as help you understand where you fit into a greater picture. Our goal is to tell a story, and we can not do that without every piece of the puzzle. Seeing how Aslan acted towards the children, gave me a better understanding of what Mr Beaver, my character, already knows about his king. Watching that scene also helped me see how I contributed to making the prophecy come true. All of the details in every scene can have an impact on your scene. This form of read-through also helps us to create a stronger ensemble since you get to experience your relationship with other characters early on in the process. I know that I have already become closer to Olivia, the actress portraying Mrs Beaver, from the read-through. Our characters were constantly relying on each other for support throughout the show. This is a fantastic opportunity, because you need to understand the importance of everybody else to create the best quality of show.

Another concept we have been exploring in this production has been stage combat. Though this is not the main concept we will be exploring during this production, it is a very useful storytelling device that we will be utilizing. With an emphasis on safety, it has been fascinating to investigate a completely new concept. I have learned how to be specific when throwing a punch and reacting to a kick or punch, as well as battling with swords. It was really interesting to see James VanDyk and Zander Reed demonstrate a battle because they were able to be incredibly specific and keep the stakes high. If we can all be this dedicated, the stage combat will be very effective in this story. I also learned about effective stage combat from watching the Fenris Ulf and Mr Tumnus scene being worked on. Every time that Mr Tumnus was attacked, Ulf had a very important reason to harass him. His objectives were very clear, so the audience was able to be engrossed in the scene. It was also very interesting to see Ben (Mr Tumnus)'s reaction to the stage combat improve throughout the day. When they were done staging the scene, Ben had very committed actions and vocal reactions, which caused a very realistic fight.

As many of you know, honesty is something that is highly valued at Story Theater Company. It is very important to make sure every moment in the show is realistic and well-earned. We are working very hard to make sure this production is extremely honest. To make sure you have an honest performance, you need to carefully consider all of your circumstances, the facts, before you go into a scene. We often talk about "the magic 'if'". If a certain situation occurred, how would you actually respond to it? To know how your character would respond to any given situation, you need to know the facts about them at that moment. Achieving honest performances is something that I am still working on, and I am still struggling to define what honesty really is. The first couple of rehearsals for Narnia have helped me with that, because we all tried to re-discover what honesty meant. In one of the exercises that we did, we were told to perform a piece titled "Sitting on an Acting Block". The cast members who went into the playing area during this exercise felt the need to move. They felt that it would not be entertaining if they did not perform actions. However, we learned to put up the fourth wall and not worry about entertaining people. Even though it may seem that everything you do is subtle, it is important to stay true to reality and not "perform" for the audience.

Finally, we have been doing a lot of dramaturgy, finding true facts that will influence the story, during this production. Kivan did an abundance of research on the mythical creatures of Narnia, and he gave a presentation with important facts he found. However, he encouraged us to dig deeper and find more facts that would influence our characters. As Mr Beaver, I researched beavers and found many facts that helped to explain moments in the play that seemed dishonest. For example, I came across the fact that beavers typically have families with approximately ten children. This helped me understand why we feel the need to take care of the children. We are very loyal to our country and want the prophecy to come true, but we also might feel more significant if we get to care for children, as we never had any of our own. I also found that beavers can stay active during the winter and are not greatly affected by cold weather. In one scene, I say, “It’s this blasted cold weather. I’ll never get used to it.” This fact helped me be more specific in that scene, since I knew that he was not bothered by the cold weather itself, but the spell that made it cold. It also made it more clear that he is taking his anger out on other things because his dam broke. As we continue to research, everybody is able to specify their character more and more, and this work has already showed in rehearsal.

I am so excited to discover every moment of this show, as we continue to refine our acting with specificity, honesty, and all of the other matters that we explore at Story Theater Company.

Ben Siegel

(Mr Beaver)