If You Go Down To The Woods Today...

If You Go Down To The Woods Today...
by Mrs C Hooper and Mr B Heaney

From the moment we entered The Shed there was a palpable sense of foreboding. Here we found ourselves sitting in the shadowy clearing of a strange and mysterious wood. The huge gnarled trees had long since shed their leaves which lay scattered and dead on the grassy forest floor. In the semi-darkness you could see the silhouettes of several tortured faces trapped within the trees. We had a feeling we should fasten our seatbelts and make sure we had something to hide behind. How right we were!

As one’s eyes became accustomed to the dark, a hunched and hooded figure sat gently rocking on a tree stump, whilst three ghostly musicians, shrouded in the mist, played their sad, haunting and strangely beautiful music. A Panic arose from the feet of the figure, dancing wildly yet gracefully to the trumpet, concertina and clarinet. Suddenly, it felt as though the theatre was going to collapse. From outside and all around, there was deafening clattering and banging on The Shed walls, we were surrounded by noise, it was shocking and frightening; we were trapped in this unfamiliar world where a nightmare was starting to unfurl.

The Emergency Broadcast tells all children to escape to the woods; the world as they know it is ending and everyone above the age of seventeen is dead. But just as they are about to learn what the key to survival in the woodland is, the broadcast cuts out and they are left to fend for themselves in this hostile environment.

The post-apocalyptic scenario is immensely popular in film and literature currently and this story tapped into that well. We see the struggle of two gangs trying to survive. The Reapers under the dictatorship of Sid are revelling in the underworld and are managing to stay alive through cannibalism. The Survivors try to look after each other and attempt to live by their wits alone. Catching the occasional squirrel and rabbit is not enough, their numbers are decreasing rapidly and The Panics are ever present. The Panics were the stuff of nightmares; dead, zombiesque little girls who fed off the sick and the frightened. Their superbly choreographed dances were mesmerising to watch, they were a powerful and terrifying force. When they dragged away their helpless victims to a ‘fate worse than death’ there were audible gasps of horror from the audience.

The appearance of The Woodland Court was welcome relief from the plight of the orphaned children. They brought vibrancy and colour to the stage as we sat through their comical court cases and tribunals. These half-human, half-woodland creatures were a joy to behold. The humour they injected was infectious and we soon came to know and love each and every one of them. Colin Catkin was a persistent offender due to his penchant for the ‘drinking well’. The flamboyant Mr Conker appeared to be the only solicitor available much to the annoyance of the long-suffering Lord Chief Justice Mushroom, and Mrs Oak’s occasional outbursts turned out not just to be the ramblings of a lunatic.

This was an evening of true theatre. The story was expertly told through the acting, music, dancing, costumes, lighting and sound. With all the disparate groups eventually coming together in the final scene, we were to learn the answers to all the questions posed at the beginning of the play. Why did the disaster happen? Who are The Panics? Where do they come from? What was the end of the Emergency Broadcast going to say? Why are the Woodland Creatures so frightened of human children? Who is Gaia? What will happen to the children now? If you didn’t see it, then you may never know.

This was an extraordinarily stunning production. The performers were professional as were the technical team who ran the show. Giving ownership to the children can be a risk, but here it paid off in bucket loads. It is unfair to mention performers or crew by name as they all formed such a magnificent ensemble.

It was terrifying, entertaining, moving, shocking, heart-rending and beautiful. If You Go Down To The Woods Today... was without doubt an outstanding achievement. As one member of the audience stated afterwards, ‘I can’t stop thinking about it. What an incredible production. Having seen hundreds of professional plays in my time, not one has had an impact quite like this. I can’t wait for the next one!’

The DVD will be available to purchase soon.