First Stage Artistic Director Jeff Frank found himself seated beside the celebrated Irish Tasmanian playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer at a national workshop on theater for young audiences some three years ago. With 77 commissions and 36 major awards globally for his plays for young people, Kruckemeyer had given the keynote speech. “What do you want to write next?” Frank asked him. Kruckemeyer responded with six story outlines. One was The Snow.
The outline read like a tale from the Brothers Grimm, Frank says—the kind of folk tale he associates with Milwaukee’s German heritage. It told of a town that awoke one winter morning to find itself trapped by a mountainous snowfall that just won’t melt. It reminded Frank of photos he’d seen at the Wisconsin Historical Society of colossal snowfalls in the state. Most of all, it was a wildly unpredictable adventure story of a young person solving a snowy mystery—perfect, Frank felt, for the Wisconsin Cycle, First Stage’s new play development program honoring Wisconsin’s history and culture.
Kruckemeyer’s reputation and the tale’s broad appeal were such that The Snow soon became a three-way commission with the Oregon Children’s Theatre of Portland and San Antonio’s Magik Theatre. First Stage will present the world premiere under Frank’s direction at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts’ Todd Wehr Theater.
The resourceful young hero of The Snow, little Theodore, catapults himself and an inauspicious crew of villagers across the impassible snow pile. The result is initially catastrophic but it sets him on a path in the company of a silent giant. Their adventures include imprisonment by a lonely old woman who is dying for company, pursuit by mean birds, a plunge into vast darkness and the subsequent discovery of a second snowbound town.
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Communicating with Frank over oceans from Tasmania to Milwaukee, Kruckemeyer produced many drafts during the development process. I found the final script impossible to put down. Theater lovers won’t need to bring a kid to justify their own attendance. The dialogue is funny and fast paced. The verbal wit, I suspect, will crack up kids as well as adults. I won’t reveal the mystery’s unexpected solution or its wise and touching final gesture.
About the keynote speech that inspired his initial conversation with the playwright, Frank says, “Fin talked about the why, how and what of a play. Producers are often caught up in the why—like, we’re going to have a play and it’s going to solve bullying—and audiences are afraid to judge it because of that idea, so it becomes an excuse for poor storytelling. Or we get caught up in how we’re going to bring the story to life with video or some new technology. In both cases, we neglect the what, which is the power of the story itself. First and foremost, you have to have a story that engages the audience.
“A lot of people in our field feel that theater for young audiences should be didactic,” Frank continues. “There should be a teaching element. But my job is not to teach; it’s to provoke thought. Learning comes on the child’s own accord or in a family discussion afterwards. And the why in The Snow is deep.”
As for how he’s staging this fantasy that has action occurring midair and across canyons, “It’s good old-fashioned storytelling around the fire, like the first story and all stories,” Frank says. “We use the things that might be on hand to bring it to life, to make listeners lean in: A rope becomes a person, a handkerchief is a bird. This is where our work in physical theater has been drifting and developing over years. It’s a natural extension of the way of telling stories that we’ve been exploring.”
A vital part of First Stage’s storytelling style is to have actors performing the music and sound effects live. Composer Andrew Crowe is using violin, cello, accordion, melodica, tambourines, woodblocks, didgeridoo and three kinds of ukulele. “The story is set in a fictional country, maybe somewhere in Eastern Europe, we’re not sure,” Crowe says. “I wanted to write melodies and instrumentations that sounded like they could be from a country that doesn’t exist, to create a sound with its own distinct character, culture and native feel. Apparently they play a lot of accordion and ukulele.”
Crowe grew up in several countries and currently resides in North Carolina. He’s acting in the show and, like half the cast of 14 children and adults, he’s also playing instruments. “I came to Milwaukee in fall to meet the young performers and find out what they can do. I’d hand them some music and say, if this is hard, let me know and I’ll simplify it. They’d go off in a corner and work and right away they’re nailing it,” he says. “I’ve been very inspired.”
Performances are at the Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater, Feb. 26-March 20. Recommended ages are 8 through 10. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit firststage.org.
