"Theater in the Woods" is a tradition of long-standing in our little Vermont town. It began as a part of a larger festival that featured workshops and speakers about solar energy and homesteading practices along with music and a celebration of the arts. The plays were written by local folks including children's book author Frank Asch, and usually had a moral to them that reminded the audience how to care for the earth, or how to treat one another with kindness. Although the festival is no longer, the theater that was a part of it has continued. It has grown into a popular summer camp for children and teens, run by many of the people who starred in the original performances back in the day, carrying a wonderful continuity of purpose and joyful connection.
On the final day of each session, the campers and staff put on a play that travels to a variety of locations in the neighboring meadow and orchard. The audience troops good-naturedly through the fields, along trails, with special accommodations made for those with mobility issues. We all follow the lead of a colorful larger than life puppet, squeezing in close to the action at each location, the better to hear and see. Before the performance, the camp's director, Melissa Chesnut-Tangerman commented that the play they chose this year was a wordy one, making it challenging for the actors to learn all of their lines in the brief time they had together. As a group they came to the conclusion that it was the process that was important to them, and not the end result of a flawless performance.
As the play unfolded, this intention became clear to those of us in the audience. The actors supported one another, covering for each other so well and smoothly that it was difficult to pick up on any glitches of memory. The meaning of the play came through when one of the main characters used her wish to grant a gift to her newfound friend rather than for personal riches. Her action, and the cast's true ensemble spirit brought home the message that community, and supporting one another are values that make for a good life.
My hope is that all of us - actors and audience - brought home with us this message. Each of us has it within us to make the world a better place, one choice at a time, one action at a time, one person at a time.
For more info, see: Theater in the Woods
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