When it comes to name recognition, "Sundance" and "Robert Redford" are as inseparable as Fred and Ginger or Bob and Bing, although the chances of actually bumping into Redford at his world famous resort are generally unlikely.
But the latest Sundance Theatre and Sundance Institute project, a production of playwright Jim Leonard Jr.'s "Crow and Weasel," was spawned when Redford, who had read Barry Lopez's best-selling book, told Artistic Director Jerry Patch that "this is the kind of thing we should be doing."Patch read the book and contacted Leonard, who spent two summers developing the script as part of the Sundance Playwriting Institute process.
Leonard, interviewed from Los Angeles where he is now involved in creating scripts for ABC's "The Marshall" series, said he had worked on "Crow and Weasel" for the past three years.
Patch was acquainted with Leonard through the South Coast Repertory Company in Orange, Calif., where both of them had worked.
Leonard noted that Sundance's new production, opening this week on the Eccles Mainstage, is the fourth fully staged edition of the new work. The first was in January of 1994 at the Children's Theatre of Minneapolis.
"I was intimately involved with that one," he said.
What Utah theatergoers will see at Sundance this summer will lean more toward director Barbara Damaschek's interpretation. Plus this version is on an outdoor stage while the previous three productions (in Minnesota, Indiana and Arizona) were all mounted in indoor theaters.
Two of these earlier productions, the one in Minneapolis and the one produced by Indiana Repertory Theatre, were professional "equity" shows. The third, produced by Arizona State University in Phoenix, was a student production.
"The play is soon to be published by Samuel French & Company," said Leonard, "so I hope there'll be more productions."
Damaschek, who is probably best know for "Quilters," which she wrote and directed for the Denver Center Theatre, is directing "Crow and Weasel" - her second Sundance project this summer. She also directed "The Very First Family," being presented on the Sundance children's theater stage.
"This project in particular has been very challenging," said Damaschek. "It's very physical and challenging on every level, especially since we're out of doors."
While the three earlier indoor productions were able to utilize controlled lighting and sound, plays mounted outdoors have to contend with the whims of nature. Also, Sundance Summer Theatre is scheduling performances of "Crow and Weasel" at 7:30 p.m. instead of the usual 8 p.m., meaning the director and her cast are faced with having the opening scenes staged with natural light - not always thebest situation if you're attempting some special effects.
"But I'm a great believer in the concept that limitations often force you to come up with new solutions," said Damaschek.
Her cast includes Scott Nielsen as Crow and Will Swenson as Weasel, with Jason Ball, Brian Clark, John-David Keller, Jayne Luke (associate producer), Michelle Massoney, Anthony Palacios, Joe Pitti (well known Salt Lake mime artist), Sam Stewart, Amy Westerby Swenson and Jessica Tong playing multiple roles.
"This company is doing incredible work," Damaschek said. "This is a certain kind of raw theater that you don't see very often. It is essentially the essence of theater - and the audience has to participate with their own imaginations a great deal more."
The story follows two young adventures who, guided by a dream, embark on a journey toward the north into territory where no one from their tribe has gone before.
Lopez's book - and Leonard's play - are set in a mythical time and space. It's an ancient time when animals and humans could converse with each other, according to Leonard.
Damaschek said the Aboriginies would call this the Dream Time, and the drama that unfolds is very similar to an American Indian allegorical teaching story. It's also a very spiritual journey.
"The two young men are coming of age and learning not only about their relationship to the other animals - and a special animal called `man' - but how they relate to the Earth itself," said Damaschek. "The story itself is something that Barry invented, based on his experiences with Native Americans, but it shares the iconography and elements of other American Indian stories. It takes place in a mythical time when there is no distinction between humans and animals. Everyone is one.
"The two boys come back from this journey and they've learned a certain kind of respect for each other and for the elements. They've had lots of obstacles and they have learned to depend on each other."
They also come back to their own tribe with a story containing special insights for their people. One important line in the script has to do with the idea that a story passed from generation to generation is just as nourishing as food, except one is spiritual and the other is physical. And they learn that how the story is retold and shaped is extremely important.
Damaschek noted that her earlier work in writing and directing "Quilters" shares an artistic kinship with Lopez's material in that the storytelling in both plays deals with ritualistic components.
The director added that the Sundance production is benefitting from some of the expertise that first went into the Minneapolis premiere.
The designs for the masks in the Minneapolis production were based on drawings by Tom Pohrt, who illustrated the original book. His artwork was, in turn, based on items from his father's renowned collection of American Indian artifacts.
Myron Johnson, who choreographed the original Minneapolis production, is serving in the same capacity in the Sundance version.
Alaskan composer John Luther Adams, who participated in the script's development at Sundance, has created the orchestral underscoring. (The story, in fact, touches on Crow and Weasel's travels into the Inuit territory in Alaska.)
Lopez is a National Book Award-winning nature writer. Both he and Leonard were both involved in the Sundance Playwrights Laboratory's development of the "Crow and Weasel" script.
Kevin Myhre and Peter L. Willardson are the scenery and lighting designers fort the production.
Damaschek commented that new children's theater "is almost an endangered species right now. I have great respect for the Sundance Playwrights Lab in that `children's theater' is not developed in a separate context. It's all just `theater' and they bring wonderful writers here."
Leonard explained that his goal, as the playwright, was "to write the script so that it didn't exclude children. I'm much more interested in the idea of families going to the theater together rather than writing just for kids.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Tickets, performances for `Crow and Weasel'
"Crow and Weasel" will premiere on Thursday, July 13, at 7:30 p.m. on the Eccles Stage at Sundance Summer Theatre.
It will also be staged Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, after which it will continue on Mondays and Tuesdays through Aug. 29 (with performances of "South Pacific" on Wednesdays-Saturdays).
Tickets are $11, $12 and $14 for adults. Admission for all children under the age of 12 are $5. For reservations, call the Sundance box office at 225-4100. ||||||||||||||||||||| JUNK |||||||||||||||||||||