The MAIZE Show (2003)
Seated on a circle of hay bales out in a field, the audience awaits a promised feast of corn.
Instead, three ancestors emerge from the cornfield with the distressing news that there is no seed corn. Confirming their announcement, a corn skeleton rises from a pile of empty cobs to dance a dance of death. How will we eat next year, without seeds to plant? The audience is unleashed into the cornfield to help in the search. They find themselves caught in a maze, which proves to be a trap set by a giant spider, planning to eat them all.
The children become key leaders in the search. The smallest climbs up to the sleeping spider’s lair, to be able to look for a way out…..
Poster Design by: Melody Anderson
A site specific celebrating Corn, in which the audience almost gets eaten.
Creation and performance team: Cathy Stubington, Murray MacDonald, Jonathan Teague, Camille Gingras.
Puppets created by: Cathy Stubington — with technical builder Stephan Bircher
Corn Dancer: Kristi Christian;
Moon: Mi Young Park
Stilt performers: Stephan Bircher, Jaci Metivier, Peter Grainger
Children guides: Leila and Lucy Grainger; Leif, Nell and Rosa Saba
Community Soundscape
Stage Manager and Production crew: Uschi Eder
Supported by: BC Arts Council, BC Gaming Direct Access, and BC Hydro.
Related Productions:
We got to know our new venue of Curly Willow Farm intimately, by creating three site-specific shows set in different seasons: Faerie Play, A Winter’s Tale, Maize Show.
All drew the audience into the story.
Artistic Process
Often a project starts with three or four specific fixed elements. We brought to the MAIZE Show the elements of corn, the audience as participants, and a visual inspiration for the puppet ancestors from ancient Chile. Every theatrical means possible was brought in to help with the telling: a planted setting large puppets, stiltwalkers, spatial rhythmic soundscape, a transforming dancer, and a ceremonial aspect to both beginning and end.