Play: GUARDIANS OF THE LI GIRLS

All club plays are written as a group collaboration between the participants and the group leader.
June 12, 2010

GUARDIANS OF THE LI GIRLS
Starring:
Lillian the beloved, mysterious darling of the village (Claire)
Lila the jealous, child of nobility (Sabine)
The Queen (Jordan)
The King (Malichi)
Lily the Princess (Madelyne)
The Pirate Captain (Malichi)
Swabbie (Jordan)
Alexis the Guardian Piratess (Ella)


Synopsis:
I. 2 great ships are sailing in the same great sea. On one vessel is a brave noble father and mother with their young sea worthy child, Lillian. A storm is on the horizon. Although the father takes all measures to contend with the angry sea he is defeated. Lillian is found in the wreckage of her families ship by the pirates. The first mate, Alexis, revives her with the help of a swabbie. The Captain instructs the crew to drop the girl off at the next coastal settlement. They row Lillian to shore and out of pity, Alexis presents the child with her mother's medallion, the only shred left of her parents found in the cruel waters. The young Lillian wanders by her lonesome into the streets of the village. Watching her go, Alexis suddenly makes her resignation to the Captain, turning over her spy glass to the swabbie. The dumbfounded Captain makes the swabbie his first mate and they sail back out into the drink leaving Alexis behind.
II. 10 years later in the same coastal village -- Her past forgotten, Lillian is cared for by the people of the village. She is the town's little darling. Surrounded by admirers in the square, she is playing delightfully in a swirl of giggles and muses as Lila, a wealthy child of nobility looks on curiously at the display of naive and whimsical happiness. She is jealous. Lila is convinced that the source of Lillian's happiness must be the jeweled medallion that the girl wears around her neck. Lila offers to buy the medallion from Lillian, but Lillian refuses, continuing to court Lila for friendship. Lila cannot overcome her horrid jealously. To cope she forms the habit of stealing small gems and jewels. The more happiness Lillian shares, the more contempt Lila grows, and robberies increase in the village.
III. In the castle overlooking the village the King and Queen discuss the future of Princess Lily. The rulers are fair and involved in the day to day lives of their villagers. They discuss what a wonderful model Lillian would make to Lily. Unfortunately politics keep Lily away from villagers that are not of nobility. Princess Lily sits quietly shining her jewels and worrying of nothing that happens in the village below. She insists on caring for her own jewels and tonight she asks the King and Queen if it is okay to leave her jewel box open by the window to capture the essence of the night air and soft lunar light. The King and Queen are so touched by her romantic nature that they allow this.
IV. Down the hill, Alexis sees that her ship has sailed in. After 10 years the skull and crossbones are back to haunt her. Alexis knows it is time to tell Lillian of her past, and that all these years, she has been her guardian in the shadows, paying for her ward with stolen treasures. She goes to the child in the streets.
In the village, Lila also sees the ship sail in. In an opportunistic manner, she decides it is time for the BIG steal. She will take the family jewels from the castle. She believes that only this will finally make her happy like Lillian.
V. Dressed as a pirate Lila sneaks into the castle. She finds the jewels easily as they are airing by the window. Lily hears the scuffling and comes to investigate. She confronts the pirate and demands her family jewels back. The two fight, Lily armed with a bouquet of crocuses and Lila, gingerly wielding a pricking sword. Lila makes off with the chest of jewels through the window while Lily calls for help. The King and Queen come to Lily's side and her her story. They are dismayed that pirates stormed the castle. Just as the King was going to send his finest men to destroy the pirates, Lillian arrived at his throne. The King has such a soft spot of Lillian. She was excited to tell him that she found out how she had come to this place, who her parents had been and especially that the pirates were kindly and had rescued her. With Alexis, her Guardian Piratess by her side she tried to appeal to the king that the pirates should be welcomed to the village as kindly as they had treated her. The King was confused and in his struggle, he had Alexis sent to the dungeon as a suspect. He was going to the harbor to drive the pirates out of his village.
VI. Lillian was in tears. She knew that a horrible mistake has been made. Clutching her jeweled medallion and calling to universal forces to help her, she recalls "...can I buy that precious jewel from around your neck..." in the snippy voice of a little girl. Lila! Lila was the thief. The two girls find each other in the square. Even though Lila has the finest jewels around her neck, she is not happy. She wants to defeat Lillian. Challenging Lillian to a battle of swords, Lillian is filled with the spirit of her swashbuckling younger days. During the duel the pirates, King, Queen come to Lillian's aid. Even Lily has managed to free Alexis and they are all there to witness and support Lillian in the battle. Lila is sorely beaten, forced into a well at sword point, the very place that she hid the chest of jewels. Lillian insists that Lila must choose friendship over her treasure if she ever wants out of the well. Lila agrees and the group helps her out.
The deal is sealed with a hug between the two children... and the pirates, townspeople and nobility lived in harmony on the shores of the sea together.

Seeking New Club Members (please repost)

Very Merry Theatre presents:
Saturdays Drama Club!
Every Saturday Morning from 10 am - 1 pm
333 Winooski Ave (next to Good News Garage)
corner of N. Winooski and Riverside
With local artist Trish Denton

Are you a dreamer or wisher or dancer or singer or storyteller or listener or mover or shaker or changemaker or shapeshifter or fanciful or heroic or hunter or gatherer or friendly or shy or wild and special? Are you between the ages of 6-14? JOIN THE CLUB!

Every Saturday morning we will collectively construct a play by piecing together our ideas with costumes, sets, good music and lots of expression. Parents can see the spontaneous creation at the end of club at 12:45 pm when they come to pick up.

Starting JUNE 12th -- Bring water and snack and drop-in at 10 am ready to make friends, fun and awesome art! Donations accepted.

More info @ http://www.verymerrytheatre.org/333.php

Meet: TRISH DENTON

Director Statement: When Don Wright gave me the opportunity to begin a Saturday Morning Drama Club at Very Merry Theatre's 333 Space, I was elated. The lightning bolts of creative energy bursting from a kid's smile always charge me with joy to continue doing the hard work of being an artist, mother, mentor and community builder. I love collaborating with kids to make spontaneous works of art with intentions of exploration, inquiry, connectivity and fun (of course). I believe that when we are organizing around each other, working together, merging ideas and converging our energies that wild inspirations are inevitable!

Here is a little about the work I have done, so you have an idea of who's driving the crazy train that is Drama Club!

Biography: Michigan native Trish Denton is a self-taught costumer, visual artist, and puppeteer. Her vaudeville-influenced stage talents include physical comedy, clowning, operatic singing, cabaret dance and fortune telling. She moved to Burlington, VT in 2009 as director of the Viva La Voce Puppet Opera. Trish transitioned into the role after initial entry into the troupe in 2007 as a puppeteer. She also plays a lead role in Burlington's annual Spielpalast Cabaret and is parade leader/performer in the Unbearable Light, a 30-person performance troupe of street buskers on staff for the Bonnaroo Music Festival.

As a low-residency student at Goddard College from 2004-2008, Trish toured with the ClothingChange project, a traveling fashion show and info center addressing recycling through re-designed garment making. During this time she also helped to establish a worker-owned cafe and theater in Montpelier, VT, The Langdon Street Cafe. There, she frequently costumed and danced with Sputnik, a synth band led by Anais Mitchell (Righteous Babe Records). From 2006-2008 Trish regularly performed in streets, cafes and galleries with various handcrafted props used for fortune telling.

Her studies at Goddard culminated with her thesis 'The Homing Device', an object theater performance that exhibited at the International Toy Theater Festival in New York and the long-established Bread and Puppet Theater. The Homing Device is currently on exhibit at the Main Street Museum in White River Junction, VT. Her infatuation with independent museums blossomed in 2004 when Trish was an actress at The Underground Railroad Living Museum in the crypt of a historic Detroit church.

Trish is also the mother of 6 year old Augustus Thomson and teaches puppetry, cardboard crafting and performance skills to children in various venues. She is active in bringing the arts into public schools and community centers. Presently, she is running summer camps with themes of Mysticism, Ritual and Magic and running a Saturday morning club at The Very Merry Theatre's 333 SPACE. She also is an educator for Burlington City Arts and the Shelburne Museum.

Play: THE GODDESS, HER CAT AND THE RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX

All club plays are written as a group collaboration between the participants and the group leader.
May 29, 2010

THE GODDESS, HER CAT AND THE RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX

Starring:

The Sphinx (Emma)

Isis the Goddess (Sabine)

Tigress the Cat (Maddy)

The Sculptor, The Baker, The Easter Bunny (Emma)

Synopsis:

1. In an Egyptian Temple, Isis and Tigress sit in the sitting room playing sanskrit games. Isis complains of being thirsty and Tigress goes to the pitcher to pour her some cold, cool water. The pitcher is dry so Tigress goes outside of the temple to the well. To her shock the well is also empty. Tigress runs to Isis to report that there is no water in the well. Dumbfounded, Isis suggests that they go down to the river together to see what the problem is.

2. The two sit down next to the river, chalices in hand. They dip the vessels into the river and nothing comes back but air. They reach a bit further and nothing comes back but air. Reaching even further, the two bring their chalices back up and dry, gravely dirt comes pouring out. “This is an emergency!” proclaims Isis. “We must go see the Sphinx!” Walking thirsty though the desert, Isis and Tigress seek answers from the river Sphinx. The Sphinx sits smuggly on her perch. To Isis and Tigress' inquiry she calmly states that yes, it was she, who dried up the river Nile. The Sphinx will not invite the water to flow again until she receives 3 gifts that demonstrate the answer to a grand riddle. The two agree to accept the challenge.

3. “For your first quest, find a representation of the answer to this riddle... ''What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?' Go to Greece and bring me back this gift. Saddling their magic flying carpet, Isis and Tigress find themselves in Greece amongst massive stone scraps near the workspace of a gifted sculptor. Chiseling the finishing touches on a beautiful statue of a man, the sculptor dryly greets the breathtaking Isis and her talking cat with an air of complete disinterest. He was so taken with his own work. The two ask him if he knows the answer to the Sphinx's riddle: 'What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?' Impatiently, the sculptor remarks, “Of course I know the answer. Why it's MAN of course. Look at my immaculate sculpture! Excuse me while I fetch a different chisel...” As he walks away, Tigress comments, “Well he said to have a look, perhaps he wouldn't mind if we looked at it on the magic carpet?” Swiftly and sneakily the two hoist the life size statue and make off with it. As they fly overhead, the sculptor returns shouting in distress “My statue! No! Come back....”

4. Returning to the Sphinx, Isis and Tigress present her with the sculpture. “Your gift is absolutely correct,” states the Sphinx. In the morning, the beginning of his life, man crawls on four legs. In the afternoon, the middle of his life, man walks on two, but in the evening of his life, in his old age, man uses a cane and walks on three. You have done well. For your next quest, please find the very thing I describe in this riddle... 'I am fair, I am true, The present someone else would give to you, As sweet as honey, As the first morning dew.' Go to Easter Island to solve this riddle. Tigress and Isis saddle the magic carpet and soon find themselves on Easter Island in a paradise of bird song, sweet smelling trees and open waters. On a hill they see the Easter Bunny picking flowers. “So this is where the Easter Bunny lives the rest of the years!” Flying down to the Bunny, they ask him, “Easter Bunny, do you know the answer to this riddle... 'I am fair, I am true, The present someone else would give to you, As sweet as honey, As the first morning dew.' Dreamily, the Bunny exclaims, “Of course I know the answer. Why it's FLOWERS of course. Feast your senses on my flourishing bouquet. Here, you hold that while I pick some more...” As he walks a little further into the dense flora to collect, Tigress comments, “Well he said to hold the flowers, perhaps he wouldn't mind if I held them all the way home?” Swiftly and sneakily the two steal away with the fragrant bouquet to the carpet. As they fly overhead, the Bunny looks around confused, “My perfect bird of paradise! O Dear! Heavens! Come back...”

5. Returning to the Sphinx, Isis and Tigress present her with the bouquet. “Your gift is absolutely correct,” states the Sphinx. You have done well. For your next quest, please find the delectable I describe in this riddle... 'Yummy, Scrumptious, Piping Hot, You'll find me in a special spot, this creation of choc-o-lot.' Go to France to solve this riddle. Tigress and Isis saddle the magic carpet and soon find themselves in France in a slurry of pedestrians, marketplace pizazz and bustling commerce. Following their noses into a nearby pâtisserie (bakery) they find a plush and jolly pastry maker. Taking a bite of everything he has made, he is interrupted by Isis and Tigress. “Excuse me Sir, but do you know the answer to this riddle... 'Yummy, Scrumptious, Piping Hot, You'll find me in a special spot, this creation in choc-o-lot.' With his mouth full of cookies and cakes, the pastry maker nods pointing at something in his ornate glass case. There within is a perfect chocolate CUPCAKE, with a swirl of soft whipping and a tiny berry on top. As he turns to wipe his mouth, the two nod at each other, and like a flash of lightning, they are off with the still-warm little cake. A dough-muffled exclamation comes from within the pâtisserie, but Isis and Tigress are already flying over the double-domed cathedral to their own time and place.

6. Returning to the Sphinx, Isis and Tigress present her with the cupcake. “Your gift is absolutely correct,” states the Sphinx. You have done well. Isis and Tigress are eager for water to flow again in the river and urge the Sphinx to incite the flow. “I'm sorry, but what you have forgotten about this challenge is to learn the lesson that inspired me to dry up the river in the first place. People take water for granted and forget to be thankful. It isn't until it is gone that it is appreciated. Did you thank the sculptor, the bunny and the pastry maker for the work they do? The gifts they provide us?” Isis and Tigress knew that they had missed something: THANKFULNESS. And so, once the gifts were returned to their creators with apology and gratitude, Isis and Tigress helped the people of their land to understand the gift of art, ceremony, food, flora, fauna, air and of course, water. The river flowed freely once again.

Play: THE VANISHING WORLD

All club plays are written as a group collaboration between the participants and the group leader.

THE VANISHING WORLD
Starring:
The Diamond Feathered Dog (Abby)
Alfonzo the Great (Auggie)
Houdina (Syd)
1000 Year Old Empress (Maddy)
The Alien Elder (Adam)
Queen of Bizarro (Kaltoma)
The Warrior Conselar (Colton)

Synopsis:
I. At a theatre in Paris, Houdina and Alfonzo the Great are doing their world renown show -- an incredible disappearing act. Alfonzo uses Houdina (his assistant) for the vanishing trick. The crowd is amazed when she disappears. When Alfonzo tries to make her reappear, an empress clearly from another time and place appears instead of Houdina. The crowd thinks it is part of the act, but Alfonzo quickly finishes the set to get to the bottom of things. The Empress tells Alfonzo she is from 1000 years ago and that she comes from a bizarro world where the vanishing things go to -- a sort of transitional dimension.

II. We find Houdina walking about as the Empress voice describes the world. We are fully emerged in the scene is painted to music as the Alien Elder and other characters are in the midst of ritualistic dance. Houdina is not sure whether or not to trust the elder, but her encourages her to continue on deeper into the Vanishing World. She is stopped by The Diamond Feathered Dog, who won't let her go by and continue down the path. It is beautiful and vicious.

III. Suddenly the Warrior Consular heroically appears ready to battle The Diamond Feathered Dog. Houdini is fascinated by the manner in which the man and beast contend, and is relieved when the dog is defeated. The Consular leads Houdina to the Queen. The Queen quickly takes a liking to Houdina and wished her to stay by her side to rule with her over all of The Vanishing World. The queen attempts to trick Houdina by having her eat/taste of the delectables on her feasting table. Offering a confection to Houdina, Houdina is delighted and just as she almost eats of the captive candy, she hears a tiny, nearly inaudible shout from a speck on the ground.

IV. Meanwhile back in Paris, Alfonzo and The 1000 Year Old Empress have been working around the clock to alter the spell that sent Houdina to The Vanishing World. Simultaneously, in the parallel dimension Houdini is nearly under the spell of the sweet smelling candy. The speck warns in a whispery shriek "Do not eat the candy. If you are to taste of any of the delights in The Vanishing World, you will be banished to this dimension forever!" Just as the candy nearly reaches her lips, Alfonzo The Great, greatly masters the spell retrieval spell and Houdina is back in her rightful time and place. From then on, she is happy to try a juggling act instead.