The Winter’s Tale

Adapted by Devlin Ford

From Dr. Peter Kirwan’s The Bardathon

This little but fierce play did indeed create its own kind of magic.

Cast & Creatives:

Devlin Ford - Perdita & Co-Director

Fallon Smyl - Millie & Co-Director

Ronan Melomo - King/Otto

Caroline Lyons - Queen/Shepherd

Devisor’s Note

The process of creating The Winter’s Tale has been incredibly different from any other process that we have had so far. Starting our process by playing together as a company allowed all of us to create a show based in a world of genuine joy, much like we would have found had we met as children. This level of trust that was earned through playing in the park, climbing trees, skipping stones, and running through streams has permeated throughout every level of our show. A large part of this process relied on trusting each other as a cast and team of creators. With the script being (brilliantly) written alongside our rehearsal process we had to trust each other and our process of play, and know that in the end the show would come together. Work like this took buy in from everyone on the team, and support from numerous outside eyes from mentors to faculty to cohort members. The joy we have felt throughout our entire process is what we aim to bring to our audiences through telling the story of our lost princess Perdita finding her way with the support of her little sister Millie, her doting father the Shepherd, and her reconciliation with the King and Queen.

- Caroline, Devlin, Fallon, and Ronan

Playwright’s Note

When we discovered Meadowlark’s season would include an educational title aimed at elementary school students, I was overjoyed. When it came time to adapt The Winter’s Tale, I found myself at a loss. I had fleshed out a narrative structure and some basic plot beats but found the task wholly overwhelming until the rehearsal process started. Together, our cast of four began creating this show beat by beat, scene by scene, and bear by bear, all through an avenue of play. After we storyboarded our initial ideas (where we created the characters of Otto and Millie) we set to work generating the action of each scene by essentially playing pretend. Once we had a shape I went home and polished what we collectively generated and added in the poetic narration to help stitch the scenes together. This process took time (the final scene was only finished in the last week of rehearsal), but the story was certainly the better for it. I have never worked inside of a practice like this before, I may never again, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to have found a path through this story that included such wonderful co-creators and collaborators. They truly are a magic all their own.

- Devlin