Stories usually have a theme, an underlying purpose, a connection with the world we live in.
In our work we use a theme throughout the year to tie it all together and build variety. This last year’s theme was Make ‘Em Laugh, Make ‘Em Cry which you could call more simply, comedy and tragedy.
This coming year our theme will be Dreams and Realities. I like a theme that can be interpreted in many different ways. What fun to explore a strange and beautiful dream landscape and then suddenly wake up to the real world. Of course theatre deals a lot with dreams because everything is manufactured reality.
Then there are the dreamers, those who live in a world disconnected from reality. As well as those who claim never to dream. But doesn’t everyone have thoughts and dreams?
It’s fun to see how different companies take these themes and turn them into something interesting. Dance is a great form to create dream states where anything is possible. In West Side Story there’s a wonderful moment when the lovers Tony and Maria meet. The stage suddenly expands beyond the New York tenement blocks and there’s a horizon and a moon while dancers hover around each other in couples, magnifying what is happening to Tony and Maria.
In the film they sing the lovely ballad Tonight and they gradually step back from each other saying good night from ever as they don’t want to leave this dreamlike state. I watched it at a cinema and when it finally ended a joker in the audience sarcastically shouted out “Good night.” The reality of that caused the audience to laugh.
Which reminds of another West Side Story story. In the original London production the percussionist in the orchestra was fond of a beer or two. He didn’t have much to do at the start of the second Act and on one night he nodded off.
He later woke with a start knowing that his next cue was to thump the gong very loudly. Unfortunately he did it in the middle of a tender moment between Tony and Maria. Knowing that his job was lost he took it further. He stood on his chair so that his head was above the orchestra pit snd he spoke clearly, “Dinner is served.” What a sense of humour, and what a sudden turn to reality. You have to love it even if he got the sack.
So come September I’ll be intrigued to see the ideas coming up for dreams and realities.
