HANSEL AND GRETEL - Interactive Theatre for 4-8 year-olds

I have discovered the joys of a small cast play. I also have entered the realm of “interactive” plays and find I am in love. I recently closed Hansel and Gretel by Moses Goldberg. One of my goals early on, was to have the six-member cast become a family – an acting troupe who knew each other well and could handle anything the audience threw at them. During the early days we did improvs on other fairy tales (improvs are something I never do in the rehearsal process – I save that for class). They had glimmers of sweetness, humor and silliness but the actors were not at home with one another yet. Only two of them knew each other. By the end of the run, these six actors (two adults and four teens) could take any fairy tale thrown at them and give it a “credible-go.”

I watched them discover how to bring out the best in each other. I watched them test themselves. I watched them grow. I did not feel like their director. I felt like their editor. There were so many ideas, bits and stagings to choose from, I was their caretaker – watching to see what worked for them and what didn’t. The last week of rehearsal (rehearsal period was approximately 5-1/2 weeks long), the play is usually “set.” No changes. But you could not adhere to that rule in something interactive. In fact, the last week was when the cast was so comfortable with one another that things got crackling and more was discovered and utilized. By the end, I thought they could “go on the road” and deliver.

Interactive theatre keeps you guessing. It keeps you wondering. Is the audience with you? Moses Goldberg devised a play that even when the audience veered off track – it was not for long. And it involved the young audience mind, body and heart. Even when raucous yelling out was encouraged, the audience quieted down because they were involved in the story. They never got out of hand. They wanted to know what happens (and truth be told – it was Hansel and Gretel and most knew what was going to happen) but they didn’t know how it was going to unfold.

The young audiences got into the spirit of the play fairly early and stayed with the cast the entire hour. The older audiences were sweet – but much quieter. They participated because they are nice people but not with the same joie de vivre that the youngsters did. No wonder. The play is geared for four-eight year olds. They were the target audience and they were the audiences that thrilled the cast.

An actor brought his two children to rehearsals. One of the children thought she was too shy to participate. But suddenly, when the morning light came on and Hansel and Gretel were waking up in the forest, she lets out a “cock-a-doodle-do.” She was with them. A few days before opening, a scout troop came. They were wonderful and helpful to the cast although I was a wee bit perplexed as to why they took off their shoes and held them high in the air when they were asked to grow into “bean shoots.” Until I realized they heard “bean shoes.” And they complied.

In any show, doing live theatre is like jumping off a cliff and hoping you land safely. In inter-active theatre, you jump off the cliff and hope the audience brings you to safety. And what a sweet landing it is when it happens.