Once upon a time there was a play. A play most different from many before it. For this narrative consists of many stories; stories that exist as stories within the story. Now that’s a lot of stories. They weave within the main story, and start to become the main story themselves before going back to the original story line.
“The Secret in The Wings” was a play shown Winona State shown from Oct. 15 through Oct. 18 and was adapted for the stage by Mary Zimmerman. It starts off in one story, and develops into several, and then back to one at the very end. Director of the play, Jim Williams explains it perfectly, “The structure of the play goes from, you’re introduced to all these Fairytale characters, and the plot expands like that as it gets more attention but then it goes back in.” At the end the story it is revealed to exist within a wider narrative.
This play is one that can be enjoyed by both casual viewers and people who love to dig into things and analyze them. It has enough on the surface to be entertaining for people who just want to have a good time and be a bit confused. It also has layers to it that would probably require a few rewatches to really delve into the deeper meanings of the play’s sub-stories.
It’s a fast-paced story that can be confusing at points, but it’s a lovely combination of humor and much needed seriousness when the time calls for it. Not every piece of media can walk that fine line of levity and somberness, but the fairytale format of this play lends itself to that balance. Given that there are several different stories taking place within the play, it’s easy to have some stories that are humorous and some stories that have more serious elements. Some of this include death, murder and the unfortunate reality many women face by being objectified at a young age.
Who made this performance happen? First is the aforementioned director, Jim Williams, who has had to deal with the highs and lows of organizing a play. Between the set and the numerous people on stage and the lighting, it can be a lot to manage.
Thankfully, like many plays, this one had a stage manager to help ease that burden. Winona State student Kiana Kalli was stage manager for the performance and describes the experience as “very difficult at times because you are part of the focal point of communication. So you kind of have to have an idea of what’s going on and everything.”
But despite all the work and preparation that a production takes, these people still continue to be a part of it. One thing that Williams and Kalli can agree on is that one of their favorite things is that they get to work with the actors.
One such actor is Aspen Winbigler who played many roles. Namely, the character of Aspen, but a couple of their favorites are “Allerleira’s companion and one of the seven sons. These roles both carry a sense of childish wonder and curiosity, which reflects underlying themes of the story in a really cool way.”
The thing that makes one show different from one another is the way characters are portrayed, which ultimately comes down to the actor. Actors “get to create a source of wonder and emotion for the audience through the lens of a character,” Winbigler explained. They work to bring a character to light, and not every actor will portray a character the same way. Several actors played different characters, and even so, there was such a distinction between characters that the doubling up of actors could be recognized as unnoticeable.
There are also many others who worked together to make this performance happen with there being fourty-five total people between cast and production. This list includes the lighting crew, scene shop assistants, scene shop volunteers, costume studio assistants and crew, props supervisor, sound engineer and more all deserve their flowers. This lovely performance is the product of so many people’s hard work.
