Written and directed by Céline Schnepf and performed by Natalia Wolkowinski, Compagnie Un château en Espagne presents Merveilles at this year’s Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes at Charleville-Mézières, France.
The very attractive compact round set of this piece is immediately impactful. Leaves cover the small space and tiny trees surround the edges. A tall lamp is to one side and our storyteller appears. She starts to talk to us in a low tone that is well articulated, has enough volume and is spare in text. For this story is about the natural wonders of nature and its animals and geared towards the young.
The seating area is organized in a semi circle with swathes of comfy dark brown fabric to sit on at the front for the very youngest with several benches for the adults. The storyteller relates to the entire audience with empathy immediately, she is very compelling to watch and to listen to as she tells us about the wolf, it’s relatives and other animals from temperate climates. At each first mention of an animal, she takes out a figurine of that animal and shows us carefully then places is somewhere in the circle.
Sometimes there is no speaking needed and she does some interesting movement to the beautiful eclectic score which runs from classical to contemporary and beyond.
One thing that is immediately apparent is that this story and the show appeals to the adults in the audience just as much to the very young. About one third of the audience at the show I attended were families but the vast majority were adults without children. I looked around at one point and saw that the adults were rapt in the storyteller’s spell.
This show is artistic as well as beguilingly educational and transports the audience far away. It is wonderful way to spend half an hour and even more so if it introduces the very young to imaginative and meaningful stories and theatre.
The storyteller sang a little song, did several short movement pieces and interacted gently with the audience, all from her small stage. Wolkowinski is completely invested in the storytelling and creating special moments for the audience – all deftly and so creatively led by Schnepf.
The result is an utterly charming piece of theatrical storytelling that appeals to all ages!
Originally from England Jo Tomalin is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is a reviewer for Dance & Theatre at www.ForAllEvents.com and works in the performing arts as a freelance movement specialist, director + actor. She is also a Professor of theatre performance in the School of Theatre & Dance at San Francisco State University, teaching Movement and Voice for actors, Storytelling and Acting.
Jo Tomalin studied Classical Ballet for 12 years. She graduated from London University’s Laban Centre teaching credential program in Modern Dance, Art of Movement & Choreography, then she trained in Physical Theatre, Masks, and Devised theatre at the renowned professional acting school “Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq” Paris, France. Jo studied Classical Acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London; and holds an A.T.C.L. in Voice and Acting from Trinity College of Dramatic Art, London, and a PH.D. in Education from Capella University, MN, USA.
