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Jul 23, 2009

Toy theater: 'Dawn'

Leo: 'Dawn'

Related to the article Toy Stories.



Leo. Photo by Dan Froot."In this play, we sit with Leo on a bus-stop bench as he watches the world go by, watching traffic and people," Froot said. "He tells the stories of the day and what happened to him."

In the excerpt, Leo notes that all the people – happy, vacationing – are just too loud.

"So he takes a trip in his own mind down to the beach at Santa Monica and watches the sunset," Froot said. "This vision of the sunset is a moment of peace and beauty in this incredibly gritty and hectic life. So we experience the desolation of his life, in a way, and end in this kind of rapturous beauty."

Of Froot's three plays, "Dawn" most closely reflects traditional toy theater, using paper-doll-style cut-outs and two-dimensional scenery and props. Figures and objects slide across the stage, pulled on strings through grooves cut into the stage floor.

Return to the main article or watch excerpts from Froot's other plays:

Sandy's story: 'Eight Days Without a Dog'
Froot's puppeteers use only items from the 99-cent store, where Sandy does all her shopping, to communicate without words how losing her dog affects her ability to maintain contact with the network of services that support her.

Robert's story: 'What the Fireman Said'
Froot used stationary figurines, marionettes, papier-mâché and more to tell Robert's entire life story in 20 minutes.