The Adventures of Wilhemina and the Modern Mythmaker was an original piece, written and directed by Erik Zambrano, who I had worked with previously on She Stood Here and Looked There. I played several roles in this production including The Man and The Shadow (pictured below), as well as the Sun. I thought this was an interesting script because it was written as experimental theater for children. We performed at the Times Square Arts Center, Roy Arias Studios (Theater Payan).
The play follows the Modern Mythmaker's search for his best friend, Wilemina, lost in the Forest of Consciousness. Along the way the Mythmaker meets a mysterious Man who cannot remember his place in the world and suffers from the weight of it. The Mythmaker also must confront The Shadow who steals the stories that bind the Forest together. Lighting by Hannah Perryman. Below is the write-up from theateronline.com which advertised the show:
A play for children and the whole family !!!
JUAN J MARTINEZ PRODUCTIONS present.......A mythosCONCEPTS production written and directed by Erick Zambrano.
The Adventures of Wilemina and the Modern Mythmaker is the umbrella title for this delightful collection of short plays that follow the exploits of the Modern Mythmaker, a mysterious story teller, and his best friend, Wilemina, as they journey trough the Forest of Ai. Their adventures range from hunting for the Mythmaker's Soul, to confront their own shadows.
Exploring the power of myth and the need for it in our lives. The Adventures of Wilemina and the Modern Mythmaker is bound to surprise, delight, and challenge children to relate these stories to their own experiences so that they may too participate in the mythic structure that binds all humans together.
Pre show activities include: Painting faces and tattoos for children and adults
1 hour before the show
Open: 11/05/06 - Close: 11/26/06 - Schedule: 12.30 pm, Sundays, November
Theater: Payan Theatre - Address: 300 W. 43rd St, 5th Floor, New York, NY - Cost:$12.00
JUAN J MARTINEZ PRODUCTIONS present.......A mythosCONCEPTS production written and directed by Erick Zambrano.
The Adventures of Wilemina and the Modern Mythmaker is the umbrella title for this delightful collection of short plays that follow the exploits of the Modern Mythmaker, a mysterious story teller, and his best friend, Wilemina, as they journey trough the Forest of Ai. Their adventures range from hunting for the Mythmaker's Soul, to confront their own shadows.
Exploring the power of myth and the need for it in our lives. The Adventures of Wilemina and the Modern Mythmaker is bound to surprise, delight, and challenge children to relate these stories to their own experiences so that they may too participate in the mythic structure that binds all humans together.
Pre show activities include: Painting faces and tattoos for children and adults
1 hour before the show
Open: 11/05/06 - Close: 11/26/06 - Schedule: 12.30 pm, Sundays, November
Theater: Payan Theatre - Address: 300 W. 43rd St, 5th Floor, New York, NY - Cost:$12.00
An Excerpt from the script:
Modern Mythmaker:
A long time ago, there was also nothing, and The Red Man, The First Man, the Man before all Men was in a dark place. There was no earth, there was no sky, there was no water. There was only nothing. Days became weeks and weeks became months and months became years. And after years, the Red Man, The First Man, began to see things.
He saw a vast forest, with trees next to trees next to trees. And in this forest he saw shadows and he saw light. He saw night and he saw day. He saw the near and he saw the close. And He saw the sadness! Oh, the sadness! Oh, the sadness!
The Red Man, The First Man, saw the sadness.
"Why can a place like this only exist in the mind," he cried, "Why can’t it be real? I imagine things… wonderful, beautiful things. I imagine immense deserts, and huge seas! I've seen the vastness. I've seen it. And I tremble at the thought of it not being there, right in front of me. Why must all the things I imagine only stay up here?"
The Red Man, The First Man, saw the sadness.
"If these places that I see truly do not exist, except in my head, then I shall have to make it real all by myself."
And that is what He did. He rubbed his hands together over and over again until they got really hot. Then, when he stopped rubbing a little ball of fire was dancing on his hands and suddenly the room was filled with light! He took a look around and he saw the Earth and he saw the Sky, just as he imagined them. But he did not see any trees.
“I shall have to create the trees as well,” he said. So The Red Man looked up at the sky and began to take deep breaths. And little by little, clouds began to appear in the sky. He made so many clouds that it began to rain.
And the forest grew, slowly at first and then faster and faster and faster. One tree after another after another and after another. The Red Man, the First Man, looked around and saw what he had done, and he smiled. “It is in this forest, this Forest that I will see all that I have seen before. In this Forest, this Forest, I will continue to see things spectacular and they will become alive before my very eyes.” And The Red Man looked around once more and saw all the things that were to be.
He saw all the things that one day will become alive…
Man:
The Forest ... Yes! I’m beginning to remember it. I remember now how big it was. And I also remember that it was small. I remember the stillness. And I remember how I trembled at the vastness. I trembled at the vastness…
A long time ago, there was also nothing, and The Red Man, The First Man, the Man before all Men was in a dark place. There was no earth, there was no sky, there was no water. There was only nothing. Days became weeks and weeks became months and months became years. And after years, the Red Man, The First Man, began to see things.
He saw a vast forest, with trees next to trees next to trees. And in this forest he saw shadows and he saw light. He saw night and he saw day. He saw the near and he saw the close. And He saw the sadness! Oh, the sadness! Oh, the sadness!
The Red Man, The First Man, saw the sadness.
"Why can a place like this only exist in the mind," he cried, "Why can’t it be real? I imagine things… wonderful, beautiful things. I imagine immense deserts, and huge seas! I've seen the vastness. I've seen it. And I tremble at the thought of it not being there, right in front of me. Why must all the things I imagine only stay up here?"
The Red Man, The First Man, saw the sadness.
"If these places that I see truly do not exist, except in my head, then I shall have to make it real all by myself."
And that is what He did. He rubbed his hands together over and over again until they got really hot. Then, when he stopped rubbing a little ball of fire was dancing on his hands and suddenly the room was filled with light! He took a look around and he saw the Earth and he saw the Sky, just as he imagined them. But he did not see any trees.
“I shall have to create the trees as well,” he said. So The Red Man looked up at the sky and began to take deep breaths. And little by little, clouds began to appear in the sky. He made so many clouds that it began to rain.
And the forest grew, slowly at first and then faster and faster and faster. One tree after another after another and after another. The Red Man, the First Man, looked around and saw what he had done, and he smiled. “It is in this forest, this Forest that I will see all that I have seen before. In this Forest, this Forest, I will continue to see things spectacular and they will become alive before my very eyes.” And The Red Man looked around once more and saw all the things that were to be.
He saw all the things that one day will become alive…
Man:
The Forest ... Yes! I’m beginning to remember it. I remember now how big it was. And I also remember that it was small. I remember the stillness. And I remember how I trembled at the vastness. I trembled at the vastness…
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