Heartwood: That Weird Puppet Musical I Wrote
And how it navigated me through those five dastardly stages of grief.
Today, I’d like to discuss "Heartwood," a weird little puppet musical I wrote that tells the tale of Eleanor—a young girl navigating grief, change, and mortality.
While undergoing open heart surgery, lying anaesthetised on a hospital bed, Eleanor wakes to find herself lost in the embrace of the dark and enigmatic Heartwood. Guided by her absent-minded companion, Badger, she must confront her fears and find her way back home.
Inspired by Kübler’s theory of the five stages of grief, "Heartwood" attempts to weave the delicate tapestry of Eleanor’s innermost thoughts, including her fears, her dreams, her nightmares, her favourite stories and her traumatic past; this is done primarily through its fantastical characters. Ostriches, hornets, cockney wheeler dealers, demonic office workers, and spinster mushrooms symbolise Eleanor's transformative journey through Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and, finally, Acceptance.
"Heartwood" debuted at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, with crucial support from the 1st year and MA students from RWCMD, who supplied our tech at Venue 13. Mumblecrust Theatre's artisans brought the puppets to life, captivating audiences with Eleanor.
(Aside: People are in two camps with her—some find her creepy. Some do not. If you say, she’s creepy. You are dead to me.)
Witnessing the impact of "Heartwood" on young audiences during the Edinburgh production somewhat changed my perspective. I realised my motivations were eschewed; I had written a play, cast actors, bought props, commissioned puppets, rented accommodation, hired rehearsal space and a venue, spent a fortune on marketing materials… and I realised that all of that—and I mean ALL—was to stoke my silly little ego.
But the kids watching didn’t know that. They spoke to me candidly, openly and thankfully, as though I had written the play just for them.
And shit, man. That was an eye-opener. Because I suddenly felt like a big fat fraud. But it did make me ask myself a very important question.
“Who the fuck am I, and why do I do the things I do?”
It was a really difficult question to answer. And as a result, as soon as I returned from Edinburgh, I slunk away from theatre altogether. The aspects of theatre I liked most were all ego driven; I liked the immediate engagement, the applause, the ‘well done's, and the 'you're so clever's. And all of that had to go.
This realisation led me to novel writing and the creation of "The Farmer and the Fald," delving into fantasy and drawing inspiration from my childhood, the twelve-year-old who had just seen Fellowship for the first time.
Aside: The 2nd Edition is on its way, by the way—I haven’t forgotten. Soon. Very soon!
Sometime later, in 2022, I was approached by the head of drama at Robbinsville High School in New Jersey. She had seen Heartwood during the Edinburgh run and wanted my permission to put on her own production. Seeing their enthusiasm for the project, all the way on the other side of the Atlantic, was bizarre, beautiful and incredibly heartwarming.
This furthered my dedication to sharing the story as I began reaching out to more and more schools and drama groups, offering affordable performance licences. (Far cheaper than those MTI Broadway Junior shows, FYI, just saying…)
This is an ongoing (and slightly more complicated than I thought) process and something I’ll have more time for when I finish this infernal 2nd Edition of FatF.
Until then, I thought I’d drop a few links for your viewing pleasure just to keep the name Heartwood buzzing around in the zeitgeist.
Thanks all!
JR
I am a fantasy author, illustrator and aspiring poet. Thanks for reading Greenjack's Journal! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.