Based on the Newbery Award-winning novel, “Bridge to Terabithia” is the story of Jesse and Leslie, who create a fantasy kingdom where they feel safe from those who don’t understand them. In the Arts Live Theatre version on stage this weekend, a fantastic set imagined by director Jason Suel, Coleman Ray Clark and artist Gustav Carlson creates the mood. In this What’s Up!
4x4, they talk about creating the magic.
Q. What is the heart of this story? And how do you want the set to convey that?
JASON SUEL - At the heart of this play is a story of friendship, risks, honesty and coming of age. It’s a mixture of reality and imagined worlds.
The idea for the set is that it shows the separation of the two worlds but also the potential from one to bleed into the other.
COLEMAN RAY CLARK - To me the story is all taking place in the main character, Jesse’s, head. So to convey that, not everything on stage is exactly how it would be in real life.
GUSTAV CARLSON - Actually I only have a passing familiarity with the story itself! But the idea of a child constantly drawing monsters and inventing worlds pretty much hit close to home for me. So it became more about drawing in the mindset of a young boy. I got to dig into a lot of my older drawings from high school and even earlier, which was a lot of fun.
Q. What do you hope to visually offer the actors and audience?
SUEL - Visually, we would love for the audience to see that dichotomy, real and imaginary. And we hope to offer some insight to childrenand young families that entire worlds can be created out of sticks, cans, flowers, old milk jugs and anything else thatmight be lying around.
CLARK - One of my favorite elements of the set is how it all looks to be drawnby Jesse in his journal. I think this offers a very neat dynamic onstage with Jesse and the other actors.
Q. Where did you begin with the design?
SUEL - Coleman and I began with the idea that we wanted Terabithia to be a real place - a place where imagination can reign supreme - and that entire kingdoms could be created out of ordinary household items. Once we agreed that Terabithia would be an actual place, visible to the audience, the rest of the set wasgenerated from that starting point.
CARLSON - I began from referencing drawings I did when I was younger. From there I tried to draw in a way that suggested evolution of an artistic style. So I tried to reproduce a child trying out various mediums and styles as he is trying to develop his world and its inhabitants.
Q. What are the challenges and rewards of “competing” with something known by its Disney version?
SUEL - I believe that what the Disney version and our version have in common is that we are both striving to tell an honest version of a story that has a somewhat bittersweet ending. If the stories are told out of a heart of honesty, it’s hard to view it as competition - more like different streams feeding the same river.
FAQ ‘Bridge to Terabithia’
WHEN - 7 p.m. today; 2 & 7 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m.
Sunday
WHERE - Arts Live Theatre Second Stage, 818 N. Sang
Ave. in Fayetteville
COST - $6-$8
INFO - 521-4932
Whats Up, Pages 15 on 02/14/2014