-Brenda Hillegas
photo by Wide Eyed Studios
Arden Children’s Theatre recently launched its 23/24 season with a family-friendly presentation of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic, The BFG. Written in 1982 and adapted for the stage in 1991 by David Wood and directed by Whit MacLaughlin, The BFG comes to life in the 360-person capacity F. Otto Haas Stage.
Below, cast member Matteo Scammell talks more about his role as The BFG- a 24-foot tall big, friendly giant who helps a young girl, Sophie, save the children of England from other giants. Learn more about the Big Friendly Giant, the show, how the puppets were made, and why it’s such a loving story to tell.
The BFG runs through January 21, 2024. Tickets here.
Q: Who is the BFG? What should we know about him before seeing the show?
A: The BFG is surprisingly dimensional! I mean, basically, it’s all there in the title. He’s big. He’s friendly. And he’s a giant. However! He’s only big compared to humans, his giant counterparts are actually much larger than him and BFG is considered the runt of the group. And sure, he’s friendly. But friendly has such a simplistic connotation – to me friendliness implies something disingenuous or false. Our production requires that the BFG be slightly more complex than friendly. Our BFG is more than friendly. I would describe him as someone with a tremendous heart. Our BFG is a warm, sensitive, thoughtful, slightly dopey, somewhat roguish giant who, despite himself, is learning what it means to have a friend and to be a father. What I love most about the character is that he is a dream-blower. He collects dreams and disseminates them to sleeping people during the night. I just love that. The wielder and crafter of imagination, fantasy, possibility. A benevolent force of goodness, giving sleeping people everywhere access to the implausible.
Our BFG is also a bit of a loner. Unlike the other giants, BFG does not eat humans. BFG has a strong code of ethics. Similarly to vegans or vegetarians, he believes that eating humans is wrong and evil and should not be done. It’s for these reasons, among others, that the other giants see him as a disgrace to the giant people. As a result, he gets picked on and bullied a lot. I think we’re doing something very nuanced in how we’re handling the violence on stage. We couple the bullying with a physical absurdity that verges on cartoon-like. There’s humor in it for sure, but audiences are also given the opportunity to ponder the honest ugliness of bullying. And so far, audiences really don’t like watching the BFG getting beaten up. Additionally, BFG loves farts! And he LOVES Sophie very very much.
Q: Were you familiar with this Roald Dahl classic story before joining the production?
A: I didn’t know the story at all before joining the production. Growing up, we read Roald Dahl but not BFG. We read James and the Giant Peach (and the animated movie!). I loved that book, I loved the characters and the magic and the danger and the humanity. I had a deep love for that story. I also loved the illustrations. And, of course, we read Charlie the Chocolate Factory.
Q: Have you read the book or seen the stage version before?
A: I have read the book, but I’ve never seen the stage version of BFG ever before.
Q: Why is this an important story to tell?
A: I think I started to address some of why I think this story is important in my response to your earlier question when I was talking about bullying, etc. But I think the heart and soul of the story is that of a father who loves his daughter. The deepest parts of my humanity are stirred when I see the Sophie puppet as my daughter. The beauty and pride and pain of loving your children: keeping them warm and comfortable, trying to protect them, feeling them challenge your parental authority, watching them be brave and do hard things, the fleeting brevity of playtime. Being silly together – being able to play and fart and laugh and sleep. And then, ultimately watching them grow up. Watching them leave, or letting them go. It’s hard stuff man, it gets me right in the feels. The time we spend as children and with children is precious. Savor it. Cherish it. Protect it. That’s what this story really is about, to me anyway.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the puppets we’ll see on stage?
A: They took an incredible amount of work to build. Months and months. A herculean effort from Sebastienne Mundheim! They’re awesome. Terry [Nolan, Producing Artistic Director at Arden Theater] loves to say that theater is a hand made artform, in that theater requires scrupulous, attentive craftsmanship and care. And the puppets in this production speak to that notion. Sebastienne really is an artist of the first degree. I mean, using relatively basic materials, each puppet was carefully crafted to resemble the actor’s facial traits! Each one of them is uniquely their own while maintaining parity from both a design standpoint and a biological one. Also, they’re hideous! But, not so hideous that they become scary, it’s more so that they’re playfully ugly. The responses from the kids watching the play ranges from wonder and amazement to laughter and fear. They ride this great line between terrifying and harmless. And the actors are doing an amazing job bringing them to life. We worked hard to “activate” the puppets through the body of the actor. Special mention goes to Jessica Money. Who, with only three weeks rehearsal, has imbued this Sophie puppet with so much vitality and “life” that sometimes I genuinely believe there is a living being standing there. Credit also to Sebastiennce who has created an extraordinary puppet and a beautiful thing.
Q: Each performance ends with an audience Q&A so children can ask the cast questions- what do you hope they will learn from this engaging experience?
A: That theater is fun and cool. That analog artforms are awesome. That you can be engaged and focused and entertained and not be looking at a screen. That playing pretend is still amazing. That imagination is vital. That family is vital. That bravery wins the day. That doing things even though you’re scared is a lesson we can learn again and again. That picking on someone because they’re different is dangerous, and harmful. That advocating for the people you love is vital. That silliness and seriousness aren’t as far apart as we think they are.
Q: What were some of your favorite children’s stories as a child?
A: I loved Dr. Seuss when I was quite young: Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Oh the Places You’ll Go. I loved Where the Wild Things Are. And again, I was a big fan of James and the Giant Peach. I loved the Harry Potter series, and Tolkein. And then, I’m a child of Disney, so obviously those animated movies were a massive part of my childhood. Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Lion King, Aladdin, Robin Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Jungle Book, Sword in the Stone….the list goes on and on and on.
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