Mensa and the Devil Tree

OK - thought I'd give you a little preview of my new work for Temple of Nothing. This is one of my sketches, not to be used in the piece, but designed to inspire the writing.

I'll be narrating the story of Mensa, a vibrant girl with a penchant for exploring the depths of her curious nature. There's a silent filmed background element and the story is rich in religious references, sexuality, desire, female stereotypes, the mother/daughter relationship, temptation, historical bias, love and loss. The colour red features prominently.

The idea for this story came from my long held adoration for children’s stories and fairy tales. I was particularly drawn to the idea of creating a seemingly innocent little story with a serrated edge. I've drawn further inspiration from some of my favourite storytellers, including God (the Bible), Shakespeare, Leonard Cohen and Daphne duMaurier, among others. I think they would be pleased.

Here's a short excerpt from the draft:

The tree spoke softly. “Can you hear my prayer Mensa?”

And she could, the vision which she beheld was one face, one voice and it spoke these words:

“In nature, there is no blemish but the mind............."

And a bit more:

The tree looked down at Mensa through its crusted gaping holes of eyes. “You are the puppet flower on a puppet stem, and I am your howling animal.”

They laughed at this. And the tree stroked Mensa’s hair with the gentleness of a true friend.

I'll update you on my progress as the weeks go by. I will be performing the finished piece solo during the first performance with the Temple of Nothing...sometime in May....