Knoxville Theatre Club’s current production is titled The Story Story and uses as its advertised premise “the seemingly impossible question: where do Stories come from?” Of course, the author/directors of The Story Story, JP Schuffman and Sara Gaddis, intended that question to be unanswerable and rhetorical. In this case, however, that premise is just a jumping off point for an evening of fun and entertaining physical theatre. Not only is the audience regaled with some creatively constructed tall tales, but is also treated to a fascinating demonstration of the art and craft of theatrical storytelling itself.
The Story Story features an ensemble of six actors, including the authors, who take turns sharing moments of exposition and take on a dizzying array of characters woven through layer upon layer of intersecting narratives. The storylines themselves are a flight of fancy—and humorous fantasy—convoluted with puns, double entendres, and current references. In fact, I suspect Schuffman and Gaddis had to exercise considerable self-control in preventing the proverbial kitchen sink from somehow showing up on stage.
Once we get to it, the basic story involves a woman, Uri, of an unnamed village, who is considered the go-to person for advice and solving problems. A mysterious curse has fallen on the village, and the fearful villagers seek out Uri to find a solution. At the heart of the problem is a strange cave creature, responsible for the stars in the night sky, that sends Uri on a journey on which she encounters even more strange characters and situations that require additional tales, explanations, and puzzle solving.
In an interesting twist of female-centric narrative construction, the character of Uri is taken at various times by all three of the women in the ensemble: Raine Palmer, Deb Weathers, and Gaddis. The three men—Caleb Burnham, Chad Wood, and Schuffman—find themselves as robbers, pirates, villagers, and other assorted characters. Together the six worked as an ensemble with impressive theatricality, keeping the dialog and comedy compelling and tight, and the action defined by physicality and energetic staging.
As a real bonus in The Story Story, the storytelling is augmented by the inventive and clever use of simple stagecraft techniques of puppetry, fabric decoration, costume design, and shadow projection. A dog puppet becomes something of a poor-man’s deus ex machina, the three-person-operated cave creature and an ostrich-like librarian provide visual comedy, and the fabric set itself suggests a band of traveling troubadours.
I’m doubting that anyone will leave The Story Story at Modern Studio complaining “Darn! I still don’t know where stories come from.” But, they will leave with a smile having given the question lengthy consideration.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Tickets and Information
