By Rita Grimaldi
Transformation Of The Princess Into A Red Bird
Just when the audience comes to believe that the Princess is finally safe, she meets an old woman and her daughter driving the King’s flock of geese. The King’s castle is in sight, so the Prince goes off to find a suitable dress for his beloved to wear when meeting the King.
However, the Goose Woman wants her own daughter to marry the Prince. So she takes the sheepskin from the Princess and puts it onto her daughter. No sooner does this happen, then the Princess transforms again - this time into a Red Bird.
Making The Red Bird Mask
I wanted the Red Bird mask to sit on top of the Princess mask. In past performances involving a transformation, I would always remove one mask and put on another. So doing this kind of layered mask was a new design, making and performance experience for me.
Luckily I had kept the plasticine form I had used in making the Princess mask. So I sculpted the Red Bird mask on top of this plasticine form, ensuring that both masks would fit easily and comfortably together.
Here is the sculpted Red Bird mask almost finished.
And here is the Red Bird mask shell ready to remove. The plasticine area below the bird's beak is the original Princess mask mold. The Bird mask is designed to be half a mask and to fit over the Princess mask.
In the photo above you see the finished masks - the rice paper Red Bird sits on the top of the plasticine Princess form and the rice paper Princess mask sits alongside on the right. Of special note is that I removed the round cheeks from the Bird mask and added a raised area to allow the two masks to fit together as one.
The Red Bird mask over the Princess mask
The Meaning Of One Mask Layered On Another Mask
I decided to layer the two masks in order to keep the Princess as one person in spite of her transformations.
My message to the audience is that, through changes to our clothing and facial expression, each of us transforms all the time, but in truth, we are always the sum of our parts. The Red Bird mask layered onto the Princess mask tells the audience that the Princess is still there even though she has now transformed into a bird.
The Character Of The Transformed Princess
In terms of the development of the Princess’s character, it should be noted that she is far freer than she was in the Troll’s castle. She has the freedom to be able to choose what to do when she is transformed into a bird. She chooses to fly to and land in the Linden tree outside her beloved Prince’s window.
How The Prince Again Restores The Princess’s Human Form
Transformed into a Red Bird, the Princess flies over to the Linden tree. For three nights, from her perch in the tree, she sings to him. Finally, on the third night, the Prince hears her singing.
Here is what I will sing in my layered Red Bird mask.
I wept over you three times.
And three times I made you well.
Why do you sleep, my beloved?
On the third night, after hearing this, the Prince takes out his key and looks through its ring. He sees the Princess - not as a bird but as she really is. He ends her enchantment by throwing his knife over her head.
When this happens I will remove the Red Bird mask, the bird shawl, and the soot dress and return to the Princess dress and mask. Then I will tell the end of the story.
The Princess as she will look telling the end of the story.
The End Of The Story
Here is what I will say at the end of the story.
And our wedding was the grandest wedding ever seen in the world. Everyone was invited. And there was enough for all to eat.
In fact, everyone could choose what they wanted to eat.
And there was even enough for them
to take home for their little children.
And if I had known all of you then,
I would have invited you also.
So that you could share in the happiness of me and my beloved.
In Part 4 I will tell about the rehearsal experience and the discovery of changes that must be made to the mask, costume, and story.
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