Three Minutes, Three Questions

Friday, February 28, 2014

Megan James says she "specializes in working with young people ages 3 to 5, but I have a special passion for youth theater. I'm so thankful to Trike Theatre for giving me the opportunity to direct young actors again" in this weekend's "Fantastic Mr. Fox." Here, she answers three questions for What's Up!

Q. Please tell us about the story and what lessons you think it teaches young audiences.

FAQ

‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’

WHEN — 6:30 p.m. today, 2 p.m. Saturday & Sunday

WHERE — White Auditorium, Burns Hall, at NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville

COST — $6-$8

INFO — 464-5084

A. "Fantastic Mr. Fox" tells the story of three greedy farmers, Boggis, Bunce and Bean, who are sick of Mr. Fox stealing their food. Every night Mr. Fox comes up through a foxhole and takes food to give to his rather large family. The farmers try a variety of different things to get him. Eventually, they start digging after him, forcing him, his family and the other diggers to dig even deeper. I'll leave it at that, so the ending can be a surprise! The biggest reason why I wanted Trike to produce this show is because it's such an ensemble piece. The story itself tells how a selfish Mr. Fox learns to help others and not just think about himself and his family. While learning this lesson, he rallies all of the animals, getting them to work together. Young people nowadays keep themselves connected digitally and not face to face. It's good for young audiences to see communities striving to survive together. I also think it has been a great chance for the young actors performing in the show to see that it's not just about having the title part of "Mr. Fox," but that there's great joy in playing many characters and doing many things in a production.

Q. When you're re-creating a beloved book, do you try to find ways to make it look or feel the same?

A. Honestly, we talked very little about the book or the movie. We have one kid, Connor, who is a huge fan of the book. He's listened to the audiobook more times than I can count. He was our go-to expert who would chime in if he knew something the other kids didn't or had advice on making it more like the book. Otherwise, I tried to let the young actors make this experience their own.

Q. Why do you think the theater experience is important for children -- both on stage and off?

A. At its core, theater is all about the ensemble, a group of people coming together to create something magically. From the stage manager to the actors to the director to the guy painting the set, every person plays a vital role in creating the production. The young actors see this system and the beauty of it. At Trike, the phrase we return to is "life skills through stage skills." Theater teaches young people things they need to be successful human beings. It teaches them to work together, to step back when you need to let someone else shine, to be confident in yourself and your abilities, to approach every task bravely and to use your imagination. They learn to be kinder, sillier and more open. On opening night when they come out on stage and hear people laugh at their jokes and applaud when they bow, it transforms their lives. I truly believe that seeing and participating in dramatic experiences creates better human beings who will cherish their time in theater and be stronger because of it.

-- Becca Martin-Brown

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NAN What's Up on 02/28/2014