East of the Sun and West of the Moon

New venture from Liminal Theatre:

East of the Sun and West of the Moon combines Bunraku style, live hand puppets and onstage actors who interact in a dynamic form of movement theatre.

It is the epic story of a young girl called Bridgette who causes the near destruction of her town when she breaks her promise to a frog. To save her home and her village she must undertake a perilous journey to a far away land, rescue the prince from a troll princess and unlock the meaning of life.

The Director

Playwright Joel Mason directs his magical play for the 7^th time since its first production in the US in 1997. Joel is an actor, director, fight choreographer and playwright with work credits in the US, Hungary, Ireland, Belgium, South Korea and Scotland.

As Artistic Director of Liminal Theatre, with the creation of East of the Sun and West of the Moon Joel uses experimental performance techniques and elements of ritual to explore the cultural roots of local communities. Other credits include From Failing Hands for Collusion Theatre in Glasgow and Twin Grandchildren for the youth theatre at Macrobert Theatre in Stirling, Scotland in collaboration with Mashirika Theatre in Kagali, Rwanda.

In 2006, at the age of 45, Joel was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the same week that he and his wife found out that they were expecting their first child. Since then he has become a board member for the Edinburgh Parkinson’s Society and has set up an Edinburgh group for young people diagnosed with the disease.

Joel Mason’s experience of Parkinson’s disease:

What exactly is Parkinson’s? Parkinson’s is a neurological condition that exists when your brain doesn’t produce enough of a chemical called dopamine and it affects people differently. Some of the symptoms include fatigue, loss of strength, loss of co-ordination, slow movements, stiff joints and of course tremors.

What kind of effect has Parkinson’s had on your career? Well, I don’t choreograph dance any more but I still do some fight choreography. I’m not really that comfortable performing any more. Parkinson’s sort of creeps up on you so you don’t really notice the things you are not doing so much. I don’t limbo any more! It’s difficult for me to think I used to be a dancer, so of course writing has become more important to me now and I still enjoy directing.

Has your Parkinson’s had an effect on your directorial style? No, not really. I still want the same things from a show as I have always wanted. It’s harder for me to get up and demonstrate things so I rely on better communication skills, but as a director I’m pretty much the same as I ever was. Maybe I’m more compassionate towards my characters. Parkinson’s has a way of making you more compassionate.

One in 20 people in the UK diagnosed with Parkinson’s is under 40 so I’m still part of the younger Parkinson’s crowd and like many of them I spent a lot of time early on divorcing myself from the condition but once I started associating with other people with Parkinson’s I found a great support group. In fact I helped start the Edinburgh Younger Parkinson’s Organisation. One of the most important things in dealing with the condition is to stay active socially so this is me doing my part.

Performances: