High Voltage Theater
A Closer Look
In the scene from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in our video clip, the main character, the pretentious schoolteacher Ichabod Crane, is engaged in a swordfight with Brom Bones, his rival for the love of Katrina Van Tassel. In the original story Brom Bones plays practical jokes on Ichabod Crane rather than fighting him. Why do you think Christopher Cook added the swordfight in his stage adaptation? What can you find out about theatrical combat?
About the Play
The High Voltage Theater Company performs The Legend of Sleepy Hollow every year in an outdoor amphitheater on the banks of the Broad River in Columbia, South Carolina. The production, based on the humorous but spooky story by Washington Irving, takes place around Halloween and features the swordfight you see in the Artopia video clip. Although the fight may appear funny and somewhat chaotic, it is actually carefully choreographed and rehearsed, just like a dance.
About the Artists
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in its original form is a short story by the well-known American author Washington Irving. Another famous story by Irving is Rip Van Winkle. The version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow that you see in the video clip here was adapted and directed by Christopher Cook for the High Voltage Theater in Columbia, South Carolina. Cook also plays the main character, Ichabod Crane.
In the scene from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in our video clip, the main character, the pretentious schoolteacher Ichabod Crane, is engaged in a swordfight with Brom Bones, his rival for the love of Katrina Van Tassel. In the original story Brom Bones plays practical jokes on Ichabod Crane rather than fighting him. Why do you think Christopher Cook added the swordfight in his stage adaptation? What can you find out about theatrical combat?
WRITE ABOUT IT
- Make a list of what you see and hear in the production.
- How does the production use the elements of theater?
- What is your opinion of the prodcution? How does it make you feel?
