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 Holly Mancuso, dramaturg After a successful run, Microburst Theatre Festival has wrapped up for this year. If you missed it, make sure you join us next year for a fresh round of new plays written by students. As part of the show we created boards for the lobby highlighting each of the shows. Different drafts showed how much these plays have changed since the first drafts, which was fun for audiences to see. [caption id="attachment_3667" align="aligncenter" width="3264"] The Microburst lobby display[/caption] As part of this process, the production team has grappled with the question: "Why new plays?" This is a fair concern, since many people don't feel comfortable seeing something with which they aren't familiar. It's also easier to be drawn in by a known name
Playwright Philip King knew how to get the laughs. Much of the humor in See How They Run is the contrast of American and English cultures. America's entrance into WWII and subsequent support of the United Kingdom led to many American troops stationed in England. Those troops brought their American culture and customs. Consequently, 1940s Britain was suddenly learning a lot about our culture; some of it they liked and some of it they didn't but Philip King's ability to find the humor in American/England cultural differences contributed to See How They Run's success. BBC America: 10 American Habits Brits Will Never Understand See How They Run's current version was purposefully revised for an American audience. In fact, the play has gone through more than one big change. The original script was a one act farce titled Moon Madness produced at Peterborough Reperatory in 1942. A few years later it went to Comedy Theatre on London's West End and it was there that King added a second act and renamed it See How They Run. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="343"] See How They Run first appeared in London during Hitler's second Blitz of Southern England news1.ghananation.com/international[/caption] Opening night on the West End was an exciting event. Rumor has it that during the show, three bombs dropped on London but even Hitler's Blitz could not stop the laughs. The show continued without a pause but George Gee, the actor playing Clive, later complained that all three bombs dropped during his funniest lines. See How They Run was so successful it continued for 600 more performances. In 1949, the show was once again revised and re-staged, this time in America. King changed Clive and Penelope to American characters to appeal to the local audience. Also, with the end of the Second World War and the rise of the Cold War, the original Nazi intruder was changed to a Russian spy. This is the version we present to you this year.
