“Lucy felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well. She looked back over her shoulder and there, between the dark tree trunks; she could still see the open doorway of the wardrobe and even catch a glimpse of the empty room from which she had set out.”
The words of C. S. Lewis were embodied on the stage of Harrison Theatre; nothing but a wardrobe and a stage light could be seen before Lucy entered the doorway.
For the first production of Samford theatre’s 2023-24 season, the department explored new worlds with their production of Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” This play, written by Joseph Robinette, focuses on the story of the four Pevensie siblings and their journey through an ordinary wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia.
This ambitious show was part of the Emma Taylor Theatre for Youth series. According to the show’s director, Laura Byland, the youth program strives to present theatre with themes of “honesty, integrity and discernment.”
“This classic story recreates the magic of Narnia, offers profound concepts of betrayal and forgiveness, courage and self-sacrifice in a way that will perhaps touch even our youngest audience member,” Byland said in her director’s note.
The audience was not the only group that improved. Each student that participated in the show evolved in a different sense. Requiring the use of talented actors and stagehands as well as talented puppeteers, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” forced many theatre majors to go beyond their comfort zone. This was Samford theatre’s first time using puppets for a main stage production, and it was quite the learning curve for the performers, puppeteers and crew.
Mallory Hubbard, a sophomore who worked as co-costume designer, shared some of the obstacles that this production introduced with balancing focus on-stage.
“It was definitely a challenge for some of [the costumes], as I didn’t want to take away from the puppets,” Hubbard said. “We wanted the puppeteers to blend in with their animal, so the animal was the focal point, but also give the people character so that they felt like part of the magical world of Narnia.”
Nearly every cast member controlled one of the puppets designed by Jesse Mooney-Bullock. Some could be controlled by one puppeteer, such as the rabbits, deer and birds, while others, such as the unicorn and Aslan himself, were incredibly large and required multiple puppeteers to hold them up.
Goldie Hatch, who played the role of Mr. Tumnus, said, “It was different than other productions I’ve been in because instead of just blocking a scene once, we’d have to put it on its feet with puppets. It would sometimes change the entire scene. . . Additionally, instead of looking at the actor operating the puppet, we connected with the puppet.”
Though this was arguably a difficult show to begin the season with, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was a huge success. Each night was sold out before the show opened on Sept. 29. Everyone that encountered the show was changed in some way, including the talented cast and crew behind it.
Arts & Life Editor
