(However, even though their child-characters complain about being “just water”, once the story starts,the water is just as invested in being “real” as the animal-characters are.) Of course, there are still elements of “let’s pretend” that are obvious to the audience: for instance, water is frequently an important part of the story, and the actors portray ponds and rivers using shimmery fabric. Since the imagination of childhood is typically vivid, and they are especially good at immersing themselves in their play, the choice to allow the actors to really “become” their animal characters was a wise one. Henry Christmas two years ago required similar decisions to be made.) Any time there is a “play within a play” we need to ask these questions. In the case of The Just So Stories, the director first had to decide how the characters in the play would interact with the stories: would they obviously be children pretending (and letting their child-character show through) or would they, when acting out each story, become fully invested in their animal-character? Not too different from how children have historically played–using furniture and blankets and other found objects to become the scenery of their world.Ī good theatrical design needs to take the context of the play into account, and create a world which seems effortless and inevitable. Elsie Kipling and her friends are using their imaginations to act out stories about animals in far-off lands.

Just so stories animals