Mythology is a very adaptive creature. It can capture the imagination of a child while speaking to the hidden soul of an adult. To emulate the best kind of children's literature, I wrote Trojan Children to be able to speak to audiences of all ages.
At the time, I was working for the Noorda Regional Theatre Center for Children and Youth (located at Utah Valley University) as their Playwright in Residence. I was writing for their Summer Youth Theatre Camp under John Newman's direction, and we were using a combination of both traditional and devised methods to create the play. I was writing roles for the particular young actors we were working with in the camp. The students chose what topics they wanted the play to be about and they had zeroed in on themes of war and mythology.
I thought of the Trojan War and Euripides' ancient Greek play Trojan Women, which gave empathy to the conquered. I wanted to do something similar with this play, so I conjured these young refugee children, victims of the Trojan War, being pursued by gods, monsters, and titans. Despite only being an hour long and written for children, I still tried to give heft and meaning to the narrative. As a result, the play has stuck with me.
When I came to teach here at DaVinci Academy this past year and realized that the wonderful talent we had here was not only in the high school group, but also amongst my middle school classes, I decided to add yet another play to our season and make room for these skilled, young actors. It meant more work for me, of course, but I had a gut feeling about these kids. There was some magic about them that I believed we could tap into and free.
I am so glad that I did. These student actors have been such a delight to work with and the treasured memories we have been creating together have been among among the many beautiful experiences I have had at DaVinci so far. Dusting off Trojan Children brought me back in many in many ways. Yet, it also brought me forward, looking to the future when these kids are young adults, ready to put on another show together.
