By Travis Wentworth
Next weekend's production of Alice in Pieces is an eclectic mix of themes and issues. In the words of Max Cole, who plays Saturnino: It's about "Saturn, Alice in Wonderland and the Valley Floor."
The Telluride Academy Mudd Butts Mystery Theatre Troupe's Aug. 20-22 production will christen the new Telluride Performing Arts Theatre, in the new addition to the middle/high school, when it offers -- as it has for nearly two decades now -- its unique and spellbinding combination of classical fairy tales, incisive portrayals of local personalities and surprisingly adult viewpoints on everything from local to global issues.
Doors open at 7 p.m., showtime is 7:30, and tickets will be available at the door.
A Tuesday visit to the rehearsing Mudd Butts -- 14 girls and six boys ages 10 to 13 -- just after they received the final draft of the script for the play found them rambunctiously comparing notes.
Some were lamenting the prospect of now having to memorize lines while others worried that their characters' didn't have enough stage time; one boy was climbing on a huge cardboard box while another tried to ride a small two-wheeled gadget. Meanwhile, Mudd Butts co-founder/director Sally Davis was busily scrambling with props and assistants, wrestling with the burden of making sure all the logistics, including props, staging and publicity, were going smoothly.
Tuesday was the day for the group to go over the second half of the script, marking a crucial point in the development of the eighteenth Mudd Butts production. Midway through the three-week enterprise, the improvisation over, the emphasis shifts to perfecting individual performances. Davis's gift for bringing characters that range from cowboys to aliens to life now comes in, helping the actors focus their energy and enthusiasm. She urges an actor who seems to be reading somewhat absently from the script to really get into character by invoking a particular accent, emphasis or giveaway personal trait. Her success is confirmed when kids jump up dramatically from their seats, in the role they now have become, and loudly deliver their lines to the nearly empty elementary school cafeteria, where they have been rehearsing for two weeks.
Davis's passion for acting and teaching visibly permeates the atmosphere. Even while the actors are still unsure about the script, and are just coming to understand their characters, Davis sparks epiphanies about the roles they are to play; she fuels their enthusiasm using specific activities -- such as games -- to help make the kids feel comfortable speaking, interacting and eventually assuming their roles.
Five minutes into the play, Alice, a cowboy, an elf, a haughty Frenchman and a rapper have all crossed paths. But this unlikelihood doesn't faze the young actors, who wrestle with adding even more spice to the ever-evolving script -- everything from melodies to dances to group lines. Larger issues are broached as well -- conservation of the Valley Floor, and biodiversity.
"I'd like people to remember the play, not just get their money's worth and leave," says one actor, of what he wants most to convey to the audience.
"When I act, I want my audience to kind of be involved, like you're actually in the story," says Cole, one of the more boisterous of the bunch. This is consistent with Mudd Butts' general method of using improvisation to form the plot of the play, based usually on traditional stories combined with imagination. Recently, Davis has solidified the students' progress from the last two weeks in the writing of the script, which last night she stayed up until 2 a.m. polishing, combing notes and memories of the students' improvisations.
With such involvement of the students, Davis is able to keep the program fresh every year. "The kids' excitement, everything, feeds on the next thing, then soon it starts simmering and you hope you've made a good soup in the end," she says.
The plot has been in the works since the first few days of camp. It was established early on that they wanted to work with Alice in Wonderland. Through improvisation and following the young actors' interests, influences were considered and allusions added. Brother Al, Jumpin' Jan, Steely Dan and Michael Moore will make appearances.
The absurd, legendary props which characterize 18 years of Mudd Butts history are the work of Mike Stasiak. He is charged with the responsibility of bringing a long, evolving list of figments of kids' imaginations to life. His primary technique is to use a sort of paper mâché made from soaked cardboard to construct everything from giant teacups to apple pies to space-dogs. Stasiak works nearly full time for three weeks to complete the job, which includes conceptualizing, constructing, painting, and finally testing.
Most of this year's Mudd Butts, who were chosen by their applications for the program, have previously been interested in acting, but when asked who now appreciated it more thanks to Mudd Butts, everyone raised their hands. Certainly this program provides a unique experience.
"I believe in it, I think it's important work, it's a kind of teaching that I'm interested in," says Davis, who lives in Telluride but teaches acting programs around the country. "It gives kids a voice and lets them figure out what it is that they care about."
"Alice in Pieces" will be performed Friday, Aug. 20-Sunday, Aug. 22 at the Telluride Performing Arts Theatre at the Telluride Middle/High School. Doors open at 7 p.m., performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults. Call 728-5311 for more information.
