窪蹋勛圖厙

 

Weaving a magical web

DalTheatre, Symphony Nova Scotia collaborate

- November 28, 2007 A Spider's Tale, presented by DalTheatre in collaboration with Symphony Nova Scotia, is the story of a spider afflicted with vertigo who is inspired to dance in midair after hearing the viola for the first time." />

Fourth-year theatre student Sarah Levy transforms herself into Brianna Bee, one of the characters in A Spiders Tale. (Nick Pearce Photo)

Binnie Brennan plays viola with Symphony Nova Scotia. One day in the middle of a performance, a spider swooped down on a trail of gossamer and made itself at home on her instrument. She continued to play. The incident made an impression, and Ms. Brennan committed it to paper as a short story. She gave the story to David Overton, a playwright and professor of theatre at Dalhousie.

Now A Spiders Tale is enjoying its world premiere. The entire fourth-year acting class (almost 20 students), 37 members of Symphony Nova Scotia, students in costume studies and in a playwriting class, guest conductors, composers and designers are all taking part. Oh, and a guest director Hans Boggild. He starts off our interview by estimating that bringing A Spiders Tale to the stage has involved more than 200 people and been two years in the making.

See photo essay: A Spider's Tale. Photography by Nick Pearce.

Im relatively late in the process, he adds, raving about the set design by Dals Peter Perina. We have an incredible design.

A Spider's Tale

WHAT: DalTheatre and Symphony Nova Scotia present A Spider's Tale
WHERE: Sir James Dunn Theatre, 窪蹋勛圖厙Arts Centre
WHEN: To Saturday, Dec. 1
HOW MUCH: $10 to $20. Call 494-3820

A Spiders Tale exemplifies the magic of the theatre and the beauty of symphonic music, says Mr. Boggild. Its a simple fable about concert-hall residents a spider, mouse, bee and moth several insect characters who are visited by a travelling orchestra.

The set is incredible a mirrored spider web suspended over the heads of symphony players and platforms to add extra room and depth for performers. The space is still packed especially during key sequences like an 18-person chase scene, accompanied by original music by Chris Palmer and Zach Florence.

Mr. Boggild has roots at 窪蹋勛圖厙 way back about 30 years ago, he was an English major and already involved in the theatre. This for me, he says thoughtfully, feels like coming home.

Leading up to opening night, it's crunch time meaningfour hours of rehearsal weekdays and a full day on the weekends. Performers are honing their mime and physical theatre abilities and, of course, their musical aptitude. A former artistic director of Eastern Front Theatre, Mr. Boggild speaks admiringly of the students; theyve risen to the challenge.

Always with a new play, you discover things as you put it on its feet (the students) are very dedicated and working very hard. But I dont think about the fact that theyre students. I think of them as artists.

SEE: in The Daily News | in The Chronicle Herald