A few weeks ago, I got a sneak peek into Plays & Players' new kids' theater series, P.L.A.Y. (Philadelphia Local Artists for Youth), at a rehearsal of its very first production, Delaware Mudtub and the Mighty Wampum. This show explores the animal legends of the Lenni-Lenape tribe indigenous to the Delaware Valley. It's about, says playwright Greg Romero, “the spirit of these animals and their interactions with each other; how they interact as part of an ecosystem.”
The interactivity extends to the audience. On your way into the theater, you may come across some of the animals in the show, creatures such as the great blue heron, the red fox and the box turtle. Once in the 360-degree performance area, you're immersed right in the middle of a wild habitat and invited to participate in the action, told through acro-yoga, shadow puppetry, aerial ballet and live music played with found objects.
Here are a few of the rehearsal photos I took:
And here's what the running production looks like (photos by Daniel Student):
“Hopefully the show will inspire curiosity about these animals and about this place," says Romero. "There’s great nature and powerful stories that are present underneath and around the city of Philadelphia.”
Brittany E. Hair is a MetroKids co-op intern, photographer and communications student at Drexel University. Performances of Delaware Mudtub and the Mighty Wampum take place through Saturday, March 29, Wed.-Fri., 10am and Sat. & Sun., 11am & 2:30pm.
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