Beyond the Laughter and the Tears
The work of Enchantment Theatre Company is transformational. We are committed to creating theatre pieces that shift the very nature and substance of both audience and performers. Our devices are as old as the theatre itself – older in fact. Masks, puppets, music, and illusion are the tradecraft of pre-historic priests and shamans who could heal the body and soul. These workers of magic became the actors of ancient Greece, whose purpose was to unfold the nature of being a human being with a wildly diverse audience – citizen, slave, rich, and poor discovered the essence of their humanity in the company of one another in numbers sometimes reaching 30,000 souls. We of Enchantment Theatre Company are the heirs to this great work. We wish to engage the imagination and spirit of the audience until a transformation occurs and the true grace of our mutual humanity is revealed – not one time, but every time we perform.
Our purpose is redemption! Like a good Frank Capra film or Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, our plays affirm that no life is inconsequential. This is obviously a worthy endeavor for a theatre company for young audiences, and that is certainly a major aspect of Enchantment Theatre Company’s mission, but our goal is much larger than this. We are a family company and the family that we aim at is humankind. The fables that form the core of our repertoire are not simplistic tales leading to plastic happy endings. They are mini-epics, journeys of the body and spirit that lead to true growth and awareness. Our plays are neither tragedies nor comedies, but rather are akin to Shakespearean romances. Like A Winter’s Tale and The Tempest, our productions present hasty acts that have great consequences. They are stories of trial and tribulation, self-denial and self-discovery, ultimately celebrating the power of love and forgiveness.
Beyond the tears of tragedy and the laughter of comedy is the clear open space in which lives can be redeemed, rediscovered, and reborn. Our romantic fables are committed to generating such a space with every audience. This is a mighty task! We live in a world where cynicism is rather common and all we see are negative possibilities. Cynicism is easy. Standing tall for the possibility of life working out is much more difficult and far more rewarding.
Enchantment Theatre Company is committed to a family audience in the broadest and richest sense and can be counted on to stand for the possibility of life working out. We promise that every production will nurture the possibility of family, friendship, and love.
