Acorn And Figures Of Speech Student Ensemble Present PAUL BUNYAN, 2/4

Family audiences in Westbrook will soon be treated to the wild and wooly chronicles of Maine's own Paul Bunyan, Mighty Woodsman, Inventor of Logging and Hero-Leader of the best band of jim-crackin', rip-snortin' rogues that ever tramped the Maine woods.

The Figures of Speech Student Ensemble (FOSSE) is an after-school program for students from Freeport High School, currently in its fourth year. The ensemble, which is led by a group of professional artist-mentors, has previously developed and performed productions inspired by material as diverse as the Greek myth of "Perseus the Gorgon Slayer," "Alice in Wonderland" and H.C. Andersen's story of "The Snow Queen".

Rather than start with a script, auditions and roles, FOSSE begins with an idea. Then material is explored by the students through improvisation, and this material finally leads to the development of the script.

This time they've taken on the Maine-based tall tale of Paul Bunyan. Ian Bannon, Figures of Speech's Director of Education explains, "I've been fretting over the fact that we are, generationally, losing touch with America's rich history of storytelling. Characters like Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill and John Henry embody our collective spirit as Americans. With all the talk about immigration policies and border safety, it's good to remember our commonalities through these legends of tenacity, ingenuity and bravery, as well as the immigrants and pioneers who generated them."

The 12-member ensemble will use a variety of media including shadow puppets, projections and dozens of tiny lumberjack figurines, to play with human-to-superhuman scale and generally cram all the fun that can be had into a 45-minute-long performance for all ages.

Ian Bannon directs the students and manages the script, and FST Co-Directors John and Carol Farrell mentor the puppetry and scenic aspects of the piece. Tim Findlen, a musician/composer with Portland's "Over a Cardboard Sea," whose degree from Goddard College focused on Maine humor, is working with students who will perform a score of live, old-timey tunes and whacky sound effects. Olan Boardman leads the design of shadow puppets and hand-cranked scenic backdrops inspired by cut paper silhouettes. Olan is a MECA alumna who went on to study textile design at NYC's Fashion Institute of Technology before returning to Portland.

This year, for the first time, the production will go on the road. "Because Figures of Speech is a touring theater, we felt that it would be a valuable experience for the students to pack it up and see what it's like to perform in a variety of spaces, for different kinds of audiences," says Carol Farrell. Acorn Productions has partnered with Figures of Speech Theater to bring the show to the Warren Memorial Library in Westbrook on Friday, February 4th at 7:30 p.m.. For more detailed information on locations, tickets, etc., go to http://www.figures.org/projects/FOSSE or call Figures of Speech Theatre, 865-6355.