Students at Michigan State University brought Jess the Mastodon to life this April! The show was part of their Storefront Theatre Initiative, in which “Creative teams are challenged to work with limited resources and shorter rehearsal periods, with an emphasis on the elements they can control: Writing, Acting, and Directing.” As such, there was no big giant puppet, just a talented and dedicated ensemble and some theater magic.
As a reviewer for Greater Lansing Ubiquitous Theatre said:
[Director Rob Roznowski] says in his director’s note, “the playwright was intrigued to see if the show could be successful without a 19’ puppet. We’ll see what you think.”Well, I think it worked very well. Jewell Redman embodied the mastodon using her arms as tusks and “walking large” and sometimes being joined by the entire cast forming a literally large mastodon shape, intimidating in unison. Though a big puppet would be fun, I think I would miss Jewell’s expressive face.
The entire cast was an excellent, energetic ensemble… Kudos to the cast and director Rob for bringing this script to life under the restrictions of “storefront” no frills. The pantomime and the cast-created sound effects were fun and effective.
I love me some cast-created sound effects! Way to go Michigan State!