Reeling it all In: Scrapbooking My Favorite "Fisherman" Moments

by Haley Flanders, dramaturg (While the BYU production is closed, The Fisherman and His Wife is still busy touring at local elementary schools. There will also 1 FREE performances at the Orem library, 11/10 at 7 pm. Monday night was the Provo library performance. Here’s me and the cast at the end of an incredible performance to a packed house in the library ballroom.)

As my last blog post, I would like to commemorate some of my favorite moments from the show by displaying a few fabulous production photos from a September performance at BYU, accompanied by some of my thoughts. Enjoy!

Featured above is the stunning introduction, where the cast swiftly marches out onto the stage to upbeat percussion music, with horns happily announcing the arrival of the Young Company troupe. The flags were used to create the many transformations of the Fisherman's home, as it goes from hut, to cottage, to stone castle, to much more! They were such simple set pieces, yet a brilliant technique to draw our attention and create "scenery in motion," a concept established by director Néstor Bravo Goldsmith. Here, the storyteller (Mariah Bowles, center) introduces her company and begins narrating the story.

The Flounder (Ross Wilcox) grants the first wish of the Fisherman (Brandon Bringhurst): Isabel's desire for a stone cottage. The replica was pulled out of the conch shells at the front of the stage (which represented the seashore) and placed in the Seahorse Assistant's coral backpack, featured in a previous blog post.

This picture is worth a thousand words. The chemistry between Brandon and Ross is always so entertaining to watch, and the sassy Seahorse (Emma Truax) adds a colorful layer of comedic genius, with her own personal journey toward learning to love and support the Fisherman on his quest for happiness in his marriage and in his life.

One of my favorite visual moments is the windy scene with the dramatic musical underscore and the kokken (Nicole Schofield and Rachel Belt) drastically shaking the Fisherman's cape to demonstrate the treacherous weather that his wife's selfish choices has created. This moment always leaves a lasting impact on me, due to its simple yet stunning ability to create such heightened drama: the storm before the calm... :)

The title characters of The Fisherman and His Wife (Brandon Bringhurst and Lizzie Mickelsen) taught me so much about the importance of equal partnership and compromise in relationships, the power of wishes, and how to be truly happy.

The husband and wife duo showcase the many pains of an unbalanced marriage, but the sweet conclusion depicts how wonderful life can be with someone by your side, looking out for you every step of the way. Goldsmith's use of dramatically stylistic acting techniques made these characters' transformations truly recognizable and captivating for audiences of all ages. I learned so many great lessons by dramaturging and watching this show, mainly about the importance of love, family, and selflessness. It has been such a blessing to work on this Young Company production, and to witness so many audiences enjoy this wonderfully timeless Brothers Grimm fairytale.

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by Amelia Johnson, Dramaturg Creating a show is a process. Though the run of the show is over, there was a lot more that went into the show than what was seen in those few weeks. Months before the run, the production team began meetings. They discussed the director’s vision for the show and began planning designs. Everything was approved of and discussed before lights were set, sets, were built, and the costume and makeup designs were implemented. This year, the costume and makeup designers drew inspiration from the local artist, James Christensen. Having passed away earlier this year, director Dallyn Bayles thought it would be nice to pay tribute to him in this way. Costume designer Dennis Wright was thrilled to base his designs of Christensen's style. He said, “What I really love about Christensen’s work is the whimsy that he incorporates into his characters. His distinctive use of patterns, layers and silhouette is really fun and distinctive. I wanted to be sure to capture that in the costume designs for this production. “I love this show, and the concept and design choices our team has made. I am excited to share it with our audience. As a big James Christensen fan, my one regret is that I didn’t actually get to meet the artist in person. I just returned to Utah last year and sadly, missed my chance. I am very grateful to be able to pay tribute to him in this small way”. Makeup and hair designer Sarah Bult also shared some of her thoughts. “After reading the script I looked through as many James Christensen paintings as I could find. I picked out textures, colors, broke it all down and paired certain characters with those elements. His artwork influenced everything from the shape and colors of hair down to the detail on the bead work of the hairpins. I loved that I could draw my inspiration from his work and create something that really embodied his artwork." Bult continued, “One thing I didn’t expect to be a challenge was that not many Christensen pieces have hair showing. This created a very unique and fun challenge for me. I had to look many different paintings, combine textures and colors, and use my own design style to come up with fun fairy tale hair and makeup styles that were reminiscent of Christensen’s artwork. I am very excited to see how all of the elements come together”. Join us on the 4th Wall next time to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes!

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Last week, A Midsummer Night’s Dream opened in the Nelke Theatre and it was a great success! Eric and I were pleased to be a part of the opening night and celebrate not only the opening night of the production, but also the 40th anniversary of the Brigham Young University Young Company. In order to set the tone of the evening, patrons were encouraged to check out the lobby display that Eric and I had created for the show. We chose to do a puppet making station, aptly named “The Mechanicals Puppet Making Station” where guests and participants could make their own puppet out of a sock or paper bag. Other craft supplies were provided for the participants—allowing them to use their imagination and create a unique puppet that they could take home. Creating such a lobby display, we hoped to provide patrons, and especially children, with an opportunity to use their imagination and create something special, as well as connect with the style of the production before seeing the show. The role of puppetry is crucial to this adaptation of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream—and we wanted to capture this and incorporate it whatever lobby display we chose. The actor’s hard work and rehearsal, as well as that of the production team, paid off—they did a marvelous job in telling the story of these loopy lovers and the adventures that take place in the magical forest. The puppetry skills and acting chops of the actors, the enchanting costumes, simple set design, and energy from the whole cast was thoroughly enjoyed by the very diverse and supportive audience. It was a packed house: if not sold out, very close. And this definitely contributed to the energetic feeling that pervaded the evening. Perhaps it was the presence of so many alumni from the Young Company that had come to support the production and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the formation of Young Company. Among the guests at the premier were Harold Oaks, founder of the BYU Young Company. Following the play, a presentation was made outlining and honoring the history and legacy of Young Company. Young Company has done an outstanding job for the last 40 years in providing quality theatre (adaptations and original works alike) for children that may not be exposed to the performing arts. A wonderful reception followed the presentation and was well enjoyed by cast and crew alike. A Midsummer Night’s Dream closes at BYU this Saturday, the 14th. Make sure to get your tickets soon and catch this unique production while you can! It will then go on tour throughout Northern Utah, presenting its whimsical and humorous message to elementary school children. Following are some images from the Opening Night Gala!

Reeling it all In: Scrapbooking My Favorite "Fisherman" Moments

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