Devising Hansel & Gretel: My First Project in NYC!
design by Sasha Steinberg
I want to tell you about this new show I created with this amazing company I stumbled upon. They are called The Circle Theater of New York, founded by Isaac Bush, Sloan Bradford, and Alexander Demers. I knew from the moment I met them that I would fit in quite well. Their passion to start this company was fueled by curiosity and an urge to push the boundaries of New York Theater.
This show actually started workshopping in the Fall of 2014 with mainly research and ideas floating around. When I came in, we began the actual process of writing a script with weekly meetings in which we would all pick certain scenes and write rough drafts. Then, we would start to put it on its feet. That is when the "devising" part would really begin. It was a very collaborative process among the actors, our composer Anthime, and our director Anne Simon (Luxembourg). Writing/devising this piece was challenging to say the least, but like all theatre, it came together. After many revisions, it became TRAIL OF CRUMBS: A RECURRING DYSTOPIA FOR HANSEL & GRETEL. That's a very long title, so we can just call it Hansel & Gretel.
The Circle Theater of New York or (CTNY) wanted to explore the topic of child soldiers and the intensely physical, emotional, and mental process in which these children are broken down once they are indoctrinated in these soldier camps, dictated by ISIS. We mashed this with the basic story of Hansel & Gretel and made a timeless, universal story about fear for "the other" while throwing in some cookies, witches, and frosting. And I can't forget probably the best part of the show--the gorgeous original music score composed and performed by Anthime Miller. He's an absolute genius, but that's for another day. Oh! And after our April run in New York city, we were invited to perform our devised piece internationally in Luxembourg at the National Theatre of Luxembourg. Check out my blog about my wonderful experience abroad!