Chloe Mendoza on November 19, 2021
Remember those far-fetched, otherworldly, almost incomprehensible stories we all wrote when we were young? Those about dragons and other mythological creatures and talking animals that carry out missions? Or maybe fashionable aliens came to Earth just for trickery? Now imagine that a group of Stanford students with musical talent and comedy talent are performing the same story in front of your eyes. This is exactly what Stanford's only children's theater company "Flying Tree House" gives to life through each of their performances.
On Thursday, students packed the lounge of Kimball Hall in order to grab a coveted seat in the first performance of the year, "Dragons on Frost Mountain and Other Stories" at Flying Tree House. Flying Treehouse is a student theater company at Stanford University that teaches creative writing to local elementary school students at Oak Knoll Elementary School and East Palo Alto Charter School. Last spring, Flying Treehouse used Zoom to teach creative writing to these students. Last night, these stories came to life in a complete performance with costumes and sets. Earlier in the day, the Flying Tree House actors performed the same skit for some of their young writers. Flying Treehouse director Freya Forstall ʼ22 described the production process as a collaborative effort and is happy to share children's stories.
"I just want to make people laugh, feel happy, and remember that there are some children out there with the wildest imagination. This is largely due to the imagination of the children, but it is also our imagination. We have been working together," Faustor said. "It's great to bring the audience back to this childlike miraculous state."
These stories portray the importance of friendship, perseverance, and helping others, as well as clever references to George Orwell’s "1984" and jokes about taxes. There is a question before the first short scene: "Who is lactose intolerant here?"
What happened next was based on a short story called "Pizza and Milk!!!". The performers walked onto the stage in temporary costumes, and there was a tragic struggle for the power of the supermarket between the bossy pizza and the stubborn, short milk. The arrival of soy milk, yogurt, ice cream, and cheddar cheese intensified the confrontation, banishing the milk to distant frozen aisles for pizza. In the end, each dairy product reached a harmonious agreement, which led Pizza to accept the same awe-inspiring nature that they turned from enemies to friends, milk. The scene ends with a collective hug, which seems to be a common (sweet) theme in most performances throughout the night, because they "warm with their feelings" to thaw their former coldness.
There are five short performances next: "Dragon on the Frost Mountain", "Untitled (We Are Telling the Truth)", "About Narwhal" and "Metal is Stronger than Paper". The sentimental performance was very interesting: the unlikely friendship between the dragon and the little girl made the audience "wow" and "ah", and the rap battle between Paper and Metal took the stage with clever rhymes.
In each performance, a musical element sets the tone in a simple and profound way: piano accompaniment. At various emotional points, the round and deep notes are full of air, or the lively and whimsical keys are full of senses. This is the perfect way to add to a minimalist setting and create an interactive experience.
After these longer scenes, the Flying Tree House performed what they called a "short story", which is a ten-minute literal "quick shot" and other short stories written by elementary school students. This part of the performance can be said to be the most funny and exciting. Some stories promote the promotion of Limon Hot Cheeto, while others detail the dangerous effects of French fries cannibals. When the audience watched these "short films", they realized that these storylines can only be fabricated by the children's unfettered imagination and unfettered filters. These stories slide into the deepest heart of the audience's cold, sleep-deprived college students, and remind us of what it's like to be a child again. The members of Flying Treehouse understand the importance of their lively and touching performances.
“The Flying Tree House is my favorite part of Stanford. I don’t know what I wanted to do when I was a freshman, but it allowed me to start learning education and child development,” the publicity coordinator and former teaching coordinator of the Flying Tree House Flora Troy ʼ23 Said the member. "It has helped me achieve the passion to work with children and make their dreams come true. The real flying tree house boils down to the voice given to them, which is my favorite part."
Before the show ended with the last song "How Zebras Get Stripes", the last few stories continued to make use of the laughter in the air. Feitian Tree House’s performance at the Kimball Concert Hall conveyed profound themes in a relevant and easy-to-understand manner in a relaxed and lively manner.
"They are masters who turn children's stories into comedies and resonate with ordinary audiences," "They are masters who turn children's stories into comedies and resonate with ordinary audiences. It brings joy to everyone who watches it, It’s really precious to see how these stories and the ideas people put forward in childhood can infer our stories and concerns as college students,” said audience member Briar Conger '21. "It brings happiness to everyone who watches it. It is really precious to see how these stories and the ideas people put forward in childhood can infer our stories and concerns as college students."
Editor's note: This article is a summary, including subjective opinions, thoughts and criticisms.
We are a student-run organization dedicated to providing the next generation of journalists with hands-on experience in journalism, digital media, and business. Your support has played an important role in helping employees from different backgrounds have the opportunity to develop important professional skills and make meaningful reports. All donations are tax-deductible.