The Jungle Book
This years play by the aesthetic program has been the Jungle Book in the version of Alexander Mork Eidem. This play is the last production we do as a class after three years together. Our version of the Jungle book is a story told in the future. It’s a dark and deep story where the wolves are hobos, the monkeys are brats and Shere Khan is a right-wing extremist. The story takes place a thousand years from now in 2117. It’s about Mowgli, a teenager, who is the only human in the urban jungle. She meets many different characters and it makes her think of who she really is.
We have all participated in the work on stage as dancers and characters, but we have also worked outside the stage in different ways. The groups we were divided into are called Production Groups and consisted of Scenography, Multimedia, Costume, Makeup and Marketing. We have done the most with the production itself, for example. Trees in papier mache, movies in the background and the white plumes we used in the jazz dance.
Through the production work I was a dancer and in the costume group. As a dancer I was dancing on the stage and also acted in the background in some scenes. Before we took the work to the stage, we worked a lot in the danceroom and down the bunk. As a dancer, I choreographed with others. It was sometimes difficult to come up with ideas for things that would fit in, etc. But we helped each other and the results were good. When we brought the dances to the stage it was difficult to find the right character and expressions. But the more I was on stage I found characters and expressions that fit right in. It has been really fun and difficult at the same time to express ourselves on stage but I'm glad that I had the opportunity to do so.
The work in the costume group began with the planning of everything that had to be done. We helped each other to sketch ideas for the clothes of the characters and the dancers. It was mainly the theaters in the group who brought out clothes to characters and we dancers who brought out clothes to the dancers. We have all helped each other to get the right feeling in the clothes. We have had different costume tests for both the dance students and the theater students. We could then see what the clothes looked like on the characters and if we needed to change something. When the theater students clothes were ready we could spend more time on the dancers clothes. We all spent a long time finding a new set of dresses for the jazz dance. I finally found some good dresses to a low price that I ordered. After some returns due to the wrong sizes, it fit and the only thing left were the feather plumes. The same week as the premiere, they finished after a few hours of sewing and gluing. The work in the costume group has taught me that cooperation is important for the best possible result.
In order to reach the final result, we had to work intensively and at least try to get a long as long as we could. We dancers have been spending many hours after school to get the dances to the level we wanted. Even though we haven’t always been on the easiest way we eventually reached all the way. In the costume group there have also been conflicts regarding costumes, but we have solved it in the best way and it went well. Everything worked as long as we cooperated with each other.
Meeting an audience when we performed was different from time to time. Sometimes it was so much fun, other times it was difficult to keep the motivation up. All performances worked well and it became better and better the more we performed. I think it's more fun to play for a paying audience who comes to actually see, listen and experience. However, it has been good and educational to meet different audiences to know what it’s like.
The final result of everything was good even though it wasn’t easy all the way through the work. It eventually became a final production. Every costume, every supply got ready and looked good on stage. It was stressful with the white feather plumes to the jazz dance, it was all done the day before the final dress rehearsal. Then some costumes of some characters had to change, but it also went well. The most stressful thing I experienced was the last dance that we had to go through and change after the dress rehearsal. Even that looked good at the premiere and then all the dances, stage changes, in and exits and expressions were put. I am pleased with everyone's efforts in this production and I think everyone should be satisfied with what they achieved.
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