The Forest of Forgotten Whispers

‘Forest of Forgotten Whispers’ is an original play written by director Maria Bates, that encompasses a powerful message about conservation, the power of an ancient prophecy and the importance of listening to the whispers of Mother Gaia herself. 

The Sacred Elder (Amber F) a wise, ancient tree who speaks with gravitas and decorum signifying her primordial status opens the show.  She tells us about the centuries of change and man’s neglect and encourages us to listen to the sounds of the forest.  Amber played her part beautifully, her voice tinged with sadness, and she sang a mournful folk song reminiscent of a ‘Steeleye Span’ tune creating an ethereal plane between fantasy and reality. 

The ensemble was dressed in brown dungarees and some of them slipped on waistcoats to become the trees of the forest, arching their hands and arms to mimic branches.  We also notice the stage is strewn with rubbish. Could this be man’s influence on this fragile ecosystem?

A young girl called River (Bethany B) appears, gathering blackberries with her friend Jai (Emily M.) River is tuned in with nature and warns Jai, who is foraging for mushrooms, of the dangerous, poisonous ones to avoid.  River is dismayed about the rubbish in the forest and resolves to do something about it. 

We learn that the forest is to be cut down to make way for developers to build more housing which will ultimately have a devastating impact on the woodland animals and other worldly inhabitants of the forest.

We meet the Guardian of the Forest, Bramble (Elizabeth F) accompanied by impish Finch (Caleb B) who have called a meeting to discuss the situation. They are joined by a trio of woodland animals (Harriet R, Mia S and Chloe M) who all express their concerns as, if the forest is destroyed, they could all lose their lives.  They appeal to the Sacred Elder who informs them of an ancient prophecy of a child gifted with the ability to hear the voice of the forest.  Could this be River? 

Litterbug then appears (Matilda T) who gleefully scatters more rubbish around the stage.  She then breaks the fourth wall, challenging the audience to stop being so judgemental by detailing all the things that humans have been doing to damage the environment, such as throwing ‘Maccie D’ wrappers out of car windows and not picking up ‘dog poo.’ 

River joins up with a journalist Ash (Ollie Roy D) to form a plan to save the forest and they organise a litter pick to tidy up the area and restore its once natural beauty.  There is a lovely moment where they are all featured in a newspaper ‘Little Grove News’ described as three young local heroes. 

The whispers and chanting are getting much louder now, and River finally understands where they are coming from.  She is the miracle, the chosen one and must be protected at all costs.  But what about Litter Bug?  A hilarious chase scene follows until the mischievous bug is finally caught.  She eventually reveals a treasure chest of precious gold and jewels - could this be used to help save the forest?

There were some lovely, confident performances from the cast who created a fun piece of theatre sharing an important theme in a witty way that wasn’t too preachy.  Bethany as River, played her part with enthusiasm and interacted with the other characters well.   Matilda as the Litter Bug, was delightful with good diction and body language, she challenged the audience with a twinkle in her eye while skipping around the stage distributing her rubbish.  Caleb as the Wood Elf Finch, was another confident character providing much of the humour with well delivered lines who stayed in character throughout.   Special mention to Elizabeth F as Bramble, who was outstanding as the prudish but caring Guardian of the Forest.  Her interactions with the Wood Elf Finch provided much of the humour and she delivered a pitch perfect solo of ‘Good Morning’ which was a definite highlight of the show.  I also liked her switch to human status taking on the role of esteemed archaeologist, Professor Hawthorn wearing glasses and clutching a huge leather bag.  I was delighted to meet all the cast after the show and stunned to discover Elizabeth was just twelve years old.  This young lady could give some of our more mature actors a few acting tips about stage presence. 

Costumes (Maria Bates and Pat Wright) were lovely and fitted in perfectly with the theme.  The ensemble wore brown dungarees and matching waistcoats with lots of tiny details such as embroidered mushrooms and appliqued leaves.  Sacred Elder wore a long pale dress entwined with greenery and a twiggy crown of blossoms to signify her status.  Finch and Bramble wore costumes themed in green and purple to indicate their ethereal nature with Finch sporting a pair elf ears.  Owl wore an impressive, brown feathered cloak. Litter Bug carried a sparkly backpack on her back, made of overlapping shiny scales, and a pair of antennae to enhance her insect like character.  Props were simple but added to the storyline, such as a camera for Ash and the newspaper.  I would have liked to have seen newspaper print on both sides, as when the cast held them down, it was obvious it was a blank piece of paper on the other side!

The set was a basic black box, relying on the actors who all worked together to bring the forest to life. Lighting effects, provided by Callum Thursby, were used well with green lights to create the ambiance of the forest, and the stage was very well lit.  Sound effects also added to the overall theme with rumbles of thunder to represent a storm and the use of folk music all added to the feel of the ethereal and timeless realm of nature. 

Well done to joint directors Maria Bates and Joanne Moules. Your talented team of enthusiastic performers brought your vision to life, and you should be very proud of them.  Some initial nerves were evident at first, but once they got going, they were wonderful. It was an honour be invited to meet the cast after the show - well done to Matilda for realising who Noda were! 

Thank you, Maria, for another lovely warm welcome, it is always a joy to be invited to visit this quaint little theatre. 

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