Meet the Cast of "The Fisherman and His Wife": Storyteller and the Kokken
October 02, 2014 12:00 AM
Haley Flanders
by Haley Flanders, dramaturgFisherman and His Wife is currently up and running on BYU's Nelke stage. To celebrate our production, we wanted to give you the chance to get to know the cast that is bringing this story to life. You can meet the Fisherman and his wife, Isabel, here. You can also meet the Flounder and the Seahorse here. Today, we finish up our introductions with the Storyteller and the Kokken.
Name: Mariah Bowles
Character: Storyteller
If you could have a supernatural helper, what would you have? I would definitely want a fairy godmother. A genie in a lamp limits your number of wishes, and the last time I caught a magic flounder it took weeks to get that fish smell off my hands.
What would you wish for? I'd wish for an increased amount of love for others. A yacht wouldn't be bad either.
What is the overall message of this play? The person we become is determined by what we chose to set our hearts on. We all have the potential for goodness or evil, but who we become is a result of what we've sought to surround ourselves with.
What has this message taught you? It has taught me to be grateful for the things that I have, and to focus on those aspects of my life that are most important. It's also taught me that I have the potential to make the mistakes Isabel did. However, I can avoid that by choosing each day to go after what is right.
What was your favorite part of working on this show? Working with and learning from our fantastic director, cast, crew, and collaborators! I've grown a lot from the insights they've given me, not only as an actress, but as a person.
Name: Nicole Ganowsky Schofield
Character: Kokken #1
If you could have a supernatural helper what would it be? I'd have to say a genie in a lamp, but he'd have to be super cool like the one from Aladdin. We could do pretty sweet musical numbers together, play lots of fun games, and once I used up two of my wishes, I'd use the third to set him (or her) free! But we'd still be best friends for life!!
What would you wish for? I'd wish for my dream house; 5 bedroom, 3 bathrooms with an amazing kitchen, movie room, and a beautiful back yard with lots of grass! My second wish would be for my husband and I to die at about 90 years old, in our sleep, together (cue adorable sigh here).
What is the overall message of this play? "Be careful what you wish for." Sometimes wishes have a way of backfiring on you and your loved ones.
What has this message taught you? Before you can be happy with what you want, you must be happy with what you have. Learn to be content with where you are at in your life. If not, you will always find something wrong, something more you want, and nothing will ever be enough.
What was your favorite part of working on this show? Becoming friends with all the cast members and crew, and getting to know each of their lovely selves. I love you guys!
Name: Rachel Belt
Character: Kokken #2
If you could have a supernatural helper, what would you have? A Fairy Godmother.
What would you wish for? I would wish for my family and friends to be happy.
What is the overall message of this play? Greed is all-consuming and never brings true contentment.
What has this message taught you? It has taught me that I can be happy with the little things in life, and that if you allow yourself, you can be happier with little than with everything.
What was your favorite part of working on this show? The people and the collaborative experience. In some ways, it’s a little scary that things are so fluid and flexible, but it’s cool to be able to see all of our ideas melding into one to create one fun and meaningful show.
By Abram Yarbro and Holly Mancuso Microburst Theatre Festival opened last week, and it has been great to have an audience. As Lee Hall explained in an interview, "Whether you are a writer, or an actor, or a stage manager, you are trying to express the complications of life through a shared enterprise. That's what theatre was, always. And live performance shares that with an audience in a specific compact: the play is unfinished unless it has an audience, and they are as important as everyone else."
If you’d like to learn more about The Magic Flute, this “cheat sheet” will help you! Click on the links below for more information about the opera, as well as the Brigham Young University production, running October 22-26, 2019.
By Amelia Johnson, assistant dramaturg World War I had drastic consequences. Many had lost family members and friends in battle. Those who fought in the battle and survived were affected emotionally if not physically. As a result of of fighting in the war 250,000 soldiers suffered a full or partial amputation. The generation who had just missed the age of being drafted felt extremely lucky. Seeing so many die from the war and Spanish influenza in such a small time period made everyone very aware that life is short. This impacted the younger generation. They felt the need to live life to the fullest for themselves and for those who no longer had the chance to. [caption id="attachment_5293" align="alignnone" width="300"] An extravagant party thrown with the spirit of the Bright Young Things.[/caption] With this sentiment, the Bright Young Things or the Bright Young People became an active group in society. Wealthy young aristocrats and socialites, the Bright Young Things rebelled against the values that they and their parents had been brought up with so that they could enjoy living. Their parent’s values had done nothing to protect them from the terror that the war had brought, so what was the purpose in playing by the rules? Life was mean to be enjoyed. [caption id="attachment_5291" align="alignnone" width="243"] A waiter experiences shock as a young woman publicly smokes a cigarette.[/caption] The Bright Young Things threw elaborate parties and participated in car races and treasure hunts. They also drank, smoke, and used drugs. Concerned only with what was fun, they gave no thought to what was proper. Their behavior caught the attention of journalists who were very interested in reporting their wild antics to the public. It is with the Bright Young Things that paparazzi originated, as reporters would follow individuals from this group of young people to get a good stories. Because of how much these individuals appeared in the press, many of the names of the Bright Young Things are still known to this day. [caption id="attachment_5289" align="alignnone" width="217"] Nancy Mitford. One of the known Bright Young Things who later became a novelist.[/caption] As you watch Chariots of Fire, pay attention to behaviors that may be associated with the Bright Young Things. In comparison, Harold and Eric were a little different then the young people at this time. Both found their fun in running and focused their efforts on this. Eric also found joy through the religious work he did. These men seized the day in their own way.
