Director's Statment
Matilda Wormwood is an old soul; she is wise beyond her years. While this type of wisdom can be a blessing, for Matilda, it also keeps her from fitting in. She cares for her family but they do not understand her and often question her interests, thoughts, and insights. In order to survive, she escapes into the world of her imagination which she discovers through reading books- lots of them! Her teacher, Miss Honey, becomes the catalyst for helping Matilda find her tribe and realize the gifts she has to offer the world, which are many.
I would venture to say that there is a little bit of Matilda in all of us. Part of our life’s journey is finding those places where we fit in, where we can be ourselves, and where what we have to offer is appreciated and honored. Though each of us finds our niche in different ways when we do find it, a whole new world opens and life takes on a deeper meaning.
In our interpretation of this story, we chose to illustrate these ideas through eight spirits, all part of Matilda’s psyche, that help guide her to better understand her world and the connections she has to those around her. Be it Yin, Yang, Risk, Innocence, Empathy, Mischievousness, Knowing, or Love, these are forces in her mind and emotions that propel her to new and exciting ways of living. When she finally finds her “place” with Miss Honey, she no longer needs the spirits and she says goodbye to them while beginning the process of building the rest of her life based on love and acceptance.
In some ways, the spirits help tell Matilda’s story, not in text, but in movement and expression. Hopefully, they will serve as guides for the audience as to the thoughts and feelings Matilda experiences throughout the play. They also offer a magical, romantic quality to a very special story of hope, persistence, self-knowing, and community.
Just as the spirits illustrate Matilda's motivations, the set is equally conceptual. As we explored the world of Matilda, it became clear that the set should be a representation of Matilda's mind which means that all the set pieces, the people, and the situations in which Matilda finds herself are from her point of view. Many set pieces are exaggerated and others underplayed- just like a dream where images of our lives and the people in our lives interweave in outlandish ways. In all of this, meaning is made and Matilda's self-understanding and personal agency are formed.
This show has been a labor of love for all involved, be they performers, musicians, dancers, crew members, parent volunteers, teachers, and our team of professional theatre artists that have helped us bring our collective dream to reality. We hope that you enjoy our Matilda and that it reminds you of the paths you have taken, are taking, or will take as you find your life's purpose.
Stuart Younse
Director
