Introducing: Forbidden Fruit

Welcome to Shaking the Tree Theatre’s behind-the-scenes blog, where we’ll be giving you a peek into the imaginations of the makers behind our latest productions. This project was conceptualized as a way to stay engaged with our extended community between shows, as well as an outlet for our writers, performers, and designers to share a bit about their creative processes with future audiences. So comment, question, and share with us! We hope this blog stirs up some curiosity and excitement as we get ready to reveal our newest work to the public, Forbidden Fruit.

8 fruits. 8 rooms. 8 stories. Each of our next few posts will focus on a fruit, fungus, or grain - a “fruiting body” - from our eponymous upcoming production, open March 4th until April 1st. This part-installation art, part-performance piece thrusts the audience into a beautiful but twisted world of subjugation and exploitation, not unlike our own. However, as in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland - one of the primary texts this work is in dialogue with - the rules here can go topsy-turvy in an instant. Will you, as listener and participant to their stories, help liberate the stifled voices of this sick menagerie, for better or for worse? Or will you remain a voyeur to their secrets, struggles, and desires, and let their cycle of silence continue forever?

This show is a commemoration of Shaking the Tree’s 20th anniversary, after being founded in 2003 by artistic director Sam Van Der Merwe. As such, it has a little bit of everything that has made this company so distinct over the years: fantasy, spectacle, immersion, darkness, and an indomitable spirit. It’s a massive undertaking and a huge collaborative effort, with 6 playwrights, 12 performers, a choreographer, and a team of designers, painters, and builders working on it together. You won’t want to miss it! In the meantime, check this blog out every now and then in the weeks leading up to opening, and book your tickets here.

That’s all for now. More soon.

~Kai