The Man Who Planted Trees Wins Victor Award at Showcase 2009
The Man Who Planted Trees
Good storytelling is everything. Good storytelling engages audiences, develops community, and illustrates relevance. Good storytelling is the key to connecting, to understanding the world and to contributing to the world.
By these, or any other standards, The Man Who Planted Trees is not simply good storytelling. It is great storytelling.
Based on Jean Giono's 1954 environmental cult classic, the Puppet State Theater Company's adaptation is a masterful and memorable blend of puppetry, drama, and comedy that tells the story of a man who transforms a barren landscape into a lush and fragrant forest. Set against the backdrop of two world wars, The Man Who Planted Trees is a modern day parable illustrating how one person's determination, dedication, and faith can change the world and is told with humor, beauty, and skill.
Plus there's a very funny dog. While only mentioned in passing in the original story, the dog is fully realized in the stage adaptation, serving as our guide and chorus as well as providing great humor and light relief.
Developed over the course of many months, artistic director Richard Medrington describes the artistic process as "a longish journey with many wrong turns. We wanted to get to a place of greatest possible simplicity in terms of set design and story structure. Getting there was a complex process! We kept having elaborate ideas which Ailie Cohen (designer, builder and co-director) and I would get more and more enthusiastic about, while Atlanta-born Rick Conte would look more and more surly before pointing out in no uncertain terms that we were wasting everyone's time and we should get back to the simplicity of the story."
Medrington and Conte have now done over 700 performances and the show still strikes a powerful chord with audiences. "People frequently say they laughed and cried," says Medrington. "I am very proud of the fact that it appeals to adults just as much as children, that it makes people think as well as smile. After three years we still aren't bored performing it."
After performing at IPAY Showcase 2009 in Cleveland, the company received the prestigious Victor award, a people's choice award presented in memory of Victor Podagrosi. "IPAY was a glorious experience – the best audience response we have ever had. We have a four month tour in Spring 2010, most of which was booked as a result of IPAY."
Much more than a story about planting trees, The Man Who Planted Trees is a wonderful parable of life, the tale of a human being who saw a need that he was able to meet and decided not to ignore it, but to ‘put things right'. He received no fame, payment, or recognition, yet his life of dedication brought him extraordinary health and happiness. The story is also known as "The Man Who Planted Hope and Reaped Happiness" and it holds a vital message for this generation.
For more information on The Man Who Planted Trees or the Puppet State Theatre visit www.puppetstate.com.