When production soars beyond all limitations
Inspiring documentary The Frog Princes follows local theatre troupe’s process
Many documentaries have been made about developmental disabilities. The Frog Princes is not one of them.
The inspiring new film by forward-thinking Montreal production house Eyesteelfilm’s Omar Majeed and Ryan Mullins is the story of a local theatre troupe at the Centre for the Arts and Human Development as it creates a new play.
Over the course of six months, neatly compressed into 65 minutes, we get to know the players, and their struggles both on and off the stage. That these young people all have disabilities of one kind or another merely adds to the drama of mounting a production out of nothing. There’s a benefit screening for the Centre Monday night at Concordia University, with cast and crew in attendance.
“We first heard about it through our producer Mila Aung Thwin, who had a connection to the centre,” said Majeed, on a conference call with Mullins from company headquarters in Mile End recently. “We were both skeptical at first; lots of docs deal with disabilities. Still, we went to see them in the earliest stages of casting at Concordia’s Loyola campus and realized we were seeing something special, that there was real potential in following the process.”
“What made it special,” added Mullins, “is these young adults were being treated like normal people. There was no ‘poor you’ tone.”
Stephen Snow, a compelling drama therapist who specializes in therapeutic theatre, is key here. He states in no uncertain terms that his adaptation of The Frog and the Princess is all about two things – helping these kids grow and improve their quality of life, and putting on good theatre. He will have no pity applause. I believe he described that kind of reaction as ‘anathema.’ These actors will earn audience respect through hard work and talent. That they also happen to melt and break our hearts in turn is just the luck of talented filmmakers, good timing and these beautiful human beings.
Blessedly, in hindsight, neither the filmmakers nor the viewer know much about their actual handicaps. There may be Down’s, or weight issues, blindness, or challenged learning curves. We see people accepting a challenge and rising through all kinds of obstacles to meet it head on.
Ray-man is in love, with plans to leave his supportive parents and strike out on his own. First he will take on the central role of the Frog Prince, learn his lines and charge them with meaning.
Tanya is overweight, with confidence issues, volcanic emotions and the verbal talent for being a real pain in the butt. She’ll be the scene-stealing baddie in this environmentally themed play, with her plans to apply pesticide in frog-sensitive neighbourhoods.
Everyone has their role, from star player to lead singer, troubadour, and chorus. Majeed and Mullins were impressed with how eager they all were, and how much they wanted to be part of the act of creation, regardless of the size of their individual roles.
So the two of them grabbed an HD camera, and joined the troupe for the journey. The compact results follow the production from the earliest stages through improvisation, casting, the crucial, sweat-inducing move to a formalized script and the harrowing thrills and tribulations of opening night. Throughout, Snow treats his actors like actors, judiciously dispensing the kind of tough love, emotional support, ego massage and psychological guidance actors of all stripes need to transform the printed word into something real.
“You say it’s a real departure from my last film,” said Majeed of his acclaimed Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam, a 2009 doc about Muslim punk-rockers. “And in some ways it is. But what they both have in common is the power of art to give a voice to those who don’t have a voice.”
“Being part of this for six months has completely changed my perspective about special needs,” said Mullins. “This was not about disability. This was about a hardworking theatre troupe.”
Cinema Politica presents a benefit screening of The Frog Princes for the Centre of Arts and Human Development Monday at 7 p.m. at Concordia University (Room H-110), 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. Donations and ticket prices go toward the Centre’s next production in June.