There is such a good understanding of how stories work now that as a writer or theatre-maker, it is just laziness if we don’t apply what is known to our dramaturgical process of leveraging the best possible outcome from the content we have assembled.

In the book A HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES, Joseph Campbell gathered mythical stories from all times and civilisations and collated them to extract their common elements of structure and character transformation.

He called the resulting structure The Heroes Journey. These types of story tend to be energy evoking. They are about characters undergoing some sort of transformation. They are the sort of stories that you want to revisit over and over again. “The hero ventures from the world of the common day into a region of supernatural wonder. Fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won. The hero comes back from the adventure empowered.” “

The shape of THE HEROES JOURNEY is an ancient cycle of tension and release, death and rebirth that re-assures us that we can make a decent into our wounds and fears, and the cycle will carry us around to a new way of viewing our life situation.” 

I’m so familiar with this structure, that I use it intuitively when shaping a show through our process of retrospective meaning making.

These types of story tend to be energy evoking. They are about characters undergoing some sort of transformation. They are the sort of stories that you want to revisit over and over again.  Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell

A broad summary of the structure of The Hero’s Journey follows:
   
1)  Heroes are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD, where  
2)  … they receive the CALL TO ADVENTURE.  
3)  They are RELUCTANT at first or REFUSE THE CALL, but…  
4)  … are encouraged by a MENTOR to …  
5)  CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World, where  
6)  … they encounter TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES.  
7)  They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second threshold… 
8)  … where they endure the SUPREME ORDEAL.  
9)  They take possession of their REWARD and …
10) … are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World
11) They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION and are transformed by the experience …
12) They RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR, a boon or treasure to benefit the  Ordinary World.

“The hero ventures from the world of the common day into a region of supernatural wonder. Fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won. The hero comes back from the adventure empowered.” 

Joseph Campbell

Ordinary World – Imogen is a story-maker – HER WANT: I want to manifest MY story as a performance. HER NEED: She needs to “be” her story rather than just “tell” it.
Call to Adventure – UltraViolet’s (MUSE) shapeshifting and plot-shifting influence (calling Imogen into story)
Refusal – Imogen moving into night sky (consolidating position as storyteller outside of story)
Mentor/Provacateur – UltraViolet
Threshold – StarMan Sam arrives onstage (in a sesne Imogen’s avatar in the story) His arrival is the beginning of her journey of finding she is not only the storyteller but that she needs to be the hero of the story.
Test/Enemies/Allies – StarMan Sam wants to get home and to do so, he needs to rediscover his mojo ie his passion and commitmen to the wonders – UV defines mission, knows what is needed, acts as guide, provocateur, is responsible for the “tough love” obstacles that guide Sam and Imogen along the path they ‘need” to tread.
Approach – Imogen unexpectedly finds herself “in” the story. She becomes newly aware of StarMan Sam’s dilemma but doesn’t know how to “act”! UV, as guide/provocateur/mentor sets out what is required in the form of a mission!
Ordeal – After setting up the star with the star, Imogen and Sam discover there’s a “missing piece!” and UV indicates that their story may be a dead-end tragedy of Sam being stranded forever. Sam’s blues suggests all may be lost! (Metaphorically, what is missing – ie the missing piece – is a commitment to act… to take responsibility … to find what is needed… to front up … for Imogen and her starkids to own their destiny. … for Sam to invest in his powers and share his passion/belief in them – for Imogen to change from a nerdy introverted storyteller to a trailblazing hero representing the powers of art and creation.)
Reward – Imogen rallies … takes action … draws Sam and the children into an engagement with the powers of art and creation. She sees that she can, at the very least, have them connect together in a celebration of the powers of wonder – of art and creation – even if Sam remains trapped. All is never lost. There is life and possibility and joy in love and connection. From her action, comes the reward of redeeming the “missing piece” and fulfilling the first requirement of the “mission.”
RoadBack – The missing piece is placed and they all dance the star-dance together and then take the pledge t0 accept Imogen and the 6 Kids as the keepers of music and colour on earth.
Atonement – Imogen and the Star Children are accepted as the 7 little wonders – heroes and disseminators of the power of art and creation on earth and StarMan Sam earns his passage home to his wife and child.
Return – StarMan Sam returns home – Imogen and friends set off into the future in their new roles – continuing the story they have now inhabited.

PROBING DEEPER: For this new work, (7LWS) I wanted to push myself more in terms of what is known about story-structure and I have been inspired by what’s out there.

K.M. Welland has an excellent BLOG about story strucutre called “Helping Writers Become Authors” that uses the Seven Point Story approach to a range of deeper insights about story-creation. The folowing notes have come about from this deep dive into the nuances of story.

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/

THOUGHTS ABOUT THE THEME of Seven Little Wonders

A story is gives expression to the essence of something that is almost impossible to represent in any other way. At no time is this conundrum more apparent than when we’re asked to explain what a story is about. It’s so hard to do. We often end up sounding wafly and incoherent because we’re trying to explain the intangible.

Like any worthy and authentic work of art – be-it a painting, a dance, a screen-play, an opera, a novel, a film, a tv series, a poem – the art itself is art because it is beyond explanation or description – that’s why its art, because in making it, we’re trying to get a glimpse of something we don’t understand – that is the purpose of our art-making process, to transcend our unknowing even if it’s just a little. So the thing is the thing – and if we were able to describe it adequately then what would be the purpose of bothering to express it in the way we have?

This is not to say there’s not some benefit in trying to descirbe stories and analyse them – for when we do so we get some richness of insight into how the work can best be rendered for the greatest impact. For a writer/art-maker such analyses will help develop and refine the work – so it becomes deeper, richer, better formed, more energy-evoking and more powerful because through people like Joseph Campbell we have learned a great deal about story strucutre, it’s archetypes and patterns and hence some significant level understanding around how we can optimise a stories impact.

Theme, plot and character and the three interelated pillars of story and they’re all interrelated. Plot is what happens, the character are the actors in the plot and the theme is the essence of the story’s meaning and purpose.

K.M Weiland suggests that the theme is the question asked by the HOOK – which is answered in the CLIMAX.

QUESTION IN HOOK – Little star – how I wonder what you are?

ANSWER IN CLIMAX – I welcome StarQueen Imogen and her Star Children as the music and colour keepers of the seven little wonders here on earth. 

Imogen’s mentor, guide, provocateur and muse, Ultra Violet – the Star Queen of the Night Sky, draws her into a journey that sees her become the hero of her own story instead of simply just its creator.

THE MISSING PIECE

All the way through the story, there is the question of the missing piece.

The missing seventh key … the missing seventh star child … the missing 7th star corner … the missing hero.

In terms of an image, I see the missing piece as the hinge (or star corner) that brings the two halves of the star together along its line of symmetry. Without the “hinge” we have an unformed line, like the rope before it becomes a star – with the hinge we hold the shape of the rope in the form of a seven pointed star.

It’s like the two sides of the brain … unified…. one can’t do without the other … the missing piece makes it all work …. the two sides of everything need to connect in order to transcend the ordinary …

Stories of “two” guide us to a point…where opposites become reconciled, bringing that which is unbalanced and incomplete to a state of balance and completeness – not somewhere between the two extremes but to some third position that transcends them both.

Art and creation are acts of doing …. messy … unpredictable … requiring the coming together of the many aspects of yin and yang, logic and whimsy, left and right sides of the brain, the rational and intuitive, sam and imogen.

So for me, the key missing piece is Imogen turning up in the story to take action as the hero of the story. She’s the hinge, providing what is needed in the circumstances when she engaging deeply, emotionally, authentically, with the dilemma she’s presented.

In doing so she connects all the points of the star and brings them into harmony by working with her other half, StarMan Sam, to connect with the children through music and colour …. through art and creation.

Themtically it may sound something like: “you need a powerful commitment to the wonder (think awe, beauty, truth, mystery, intransience whimsy ) of art and creation if you’re ever going to transcend the ordinariness of life It’s not enough to tell the story …. you’ve got to be the story!!

LOGIC: You can plan it, analyse it, work hard at it, envision it, ..

WHIMSY: …but equally you must live it and respond to it and be guided into its mysteries and wonder .. for that is ultimately the well-spring our our adventure … curiosity, engagement, connection, mystery, chaos, surpirse.

WHAT IF THERE IS NO OBLIGATION TO ART AND CREATION AS A PATHWAY TO TRANSCEND THE ORDINARINESS OF LIFE? WHAT IF!!

So what if Sam comes into the world and shows the kids possibilities of music and colour … and they connect and engage … have good fun together …. and then he goes home – end of story! I reckon that’s what Imogen’s got planned!!

Nothings really changed as a result … there’s no commitment to anything … there’s no transformation.  IT’S JUST ENTERTAINMENT!

In this scenario, Imogen is just a story teller and StarMan Sam has done a gig and gone home and Ultra Violet has facilitated StarMan’s Journey and been a functionary rather than a muse and inspiration for Imogen’s story and performance …. and the children have participated in a fun exchange and the audience has been entertained and everything is hunky dory. 

Thanks goodness for Ultra Violet – she’s the curve-ball queen. She’s whimsy and chaos. She’s the antagonist that challenges Sam and Imogen (the co-protagonists) to go the journey.

DEEPER DIVE INTO THE STRUCTURE OF STORY IN 3 ACTS

(Inspired by K.M. Weiland’s insights)

THE POSITIVE CHANGE ARC – Seven Little Wonders
requires that a character experience positive change over the course of a story.

ACT 1 – 0 to 11min

HOOK
Video Prelude (1min)
INCITING EVENT
Going to night sky (8min)
FIRST PLOT POINT
Arrival of StarMan Sam (12 min)

Act 2 – 12 to 35 min

FIRST PINCH POINT
Imogen is revealed to StarMan Sam and Ultra Violet tells Sam he must find someone to take his place. Sam engages Imogen in Stop Go Game … through “coat” moment (20 min)
MIDPOINT/SECOND PLOT POINT
Imogen arrives in the story … You need to get home? I’m not sure what to do? UV answers by defining the mission …. star within a star etc. (26 min)
SECOND PINCH POINT
UV declares If the star is incomplete then StarMan Sam cannot go home … (reveal an image of wife and child) It’s as if UV herself is saying I cannot do anymore – the rest is up to you. (30 min)

Act 3 – 35 to 45 min

THIRD PLOT POINT
Imogen brings Sam out of his “BLUES” despair with bells (music and colour) (35min)
CLIMAX
Pledge and Ordination of Imogen + Star Children as new heroes of the realm – they are the Seven Little Wonders (42min)
RESOLUTION
StarMan Sam goes home and Imogen and StarKids are the precursors of a new story. (44min)

SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE STORY

ACT 1 – establishes the setting, characters and the set-up

THE HOOK – is the beat that not only kicks off the story but also hooks the audience into the rest of the story.   It should be offered as soon as possible. The Hook introduces the place—whether literal or metaphorical—from which the protagonist will embark.

Imogen is a story teller and this is her story and because her story is happening right here and now, she begins it with the words, “Once upon the time of now ….there is a Star Queen in the Night Sky, whose name is Ultra Violet. She’s everywhere at the same time because she can travel faster than the speed of light and she’s mainly invisible although sometimes, children especially, can see her traces ands trails in the night sky.

Little Star, Little Star,
How I wonder 
What you are
Little Star, Little Star,
How I wonder 
What you are

Somewhere over the rainbow
There’s a starman, waiting in the sky

Little Star, Little Star,
How I wonder 
What you are

Imogen loves numbers. All sorts of numbers but especially the number seven. She loves it so much that she’s called her story, this story, The Seven Little Wonders.

The Hook tells us that  Imogen is a story teller and this is her story … and goes on to introduce Ultra Violet, Star Queen of the Night Sky and a “starman waiting in the sky” along with the thematic question – “Little Star ~ What are you?” together with the knowledge of Imogen’s love of numbers, especially the number “7.”

The Hook should function to set up all the important playing pieces for later beats.

Ultra Violet is ever present in the background on the screen and often coming to the fore as an antagosist, mentor, provocateur, change-maker, chameleon, sage, mother-figure, authority, muse. She’s archetypal in a variety of ways – godlike in her essence.

The number seven immediately becomes prominent in Imogen’s story with her seeking out the missing “7” in the screen musical “keys” and floor musical “keys”. Symbolically 7 is a doorway to change … the edge of the rainbow or the last note in the scale – a leaping off place.

In the opening scene – Ultra Violet is responsible for the “magic” … eg the lack of a 7th key on the cyc then on the floor. She’s responsible for its absence and its appearances. In Imogen’s mind, it should be there. She planned for it to be there. It’s not!! This immediately places Imogen on notice .. things aren’t always what you expect them to be. This is disconcerting for Imogen who likes to be in control.

These UV moments are the first signs of a call to adventure.

The star children are selected and given their places on the stage.

INCITING EVENT (about half way through Act 1) – the first brushing with the main conflict, it sets the stories action in motion.

Imogen is always thinking about her story. When she wants to sort out her thoughts, she goes to a special place in the night sky. It’s an imagining place; the place of dreams and Star Queens.

The light pool takes Imogen to the cyclorama and Imogen uses her droplet to take her up into the night sky. This seems like a complicit action by Imogen in cahoots with her muse, Ultra Violet.

It’s Imogen’s conscious choice to separate herself from the story and Ultra-Violet is going along with her at this point. There is a constant pull and push – a tension between the inner and outer Imogen …. her conscious intent and the subconscious provocation of Ultra Violet which expresses itself in physical manafestations she brings into play.

Imogen has positioned the 6 star children and identified herself as the outsider, when she moves into her “seat” as storyteller in the night sky…. “the place of dreams and night sky queens”

She steps outside the story to control it remotely behind the “safety rail” of the story’s onstage/offstage boundary where she resides in company with her muse, Ultra-Violet who is already showing signs of stirring things up a bit.

Ultra Violet is the magic that takes Imogen to the night sky at this point – so it seems that Imogen is famliar with UV’s magic but that she believes it is part of her and under her control. Little does Imogen realise the scope of UV’s power and independence!

The KEY EVENT and the FIRST PLOT POINT are two sides of a door ….

The KEY EVENT is an exit and the FIRST PLOT POINT is the entry into the new world. The KEY EVENT – irrevocably engages the protagonist in the main conflict

SET UP OF THE KEY EVENT

Once upon the time of now, Imogen imagined Starman Sam.

When Imogen places herself in the remote position as storyteller alongside Ultra-Violet in the nightsky she feels safe and assured and comfortable inside her storyteller role and responsiblities.

This is where she imagines/invents StarMan Sam and sets up the … red star-child, orange star-child, yellow star-child, green star-child, blue star-child and indigo star child, foreshadowing what she expects will happen by identifying them as music-colour Star Kids

It is clear that Imogen has her story well-mapped out . However although Imogen seems to believe there’s a complicity between her and her muse, we already sense that Ultra Violet is a magical and mysterious force unto herself. (mainly through the motion graphics)

In essence, Imogen sets up Sam to become her avatar inside the story playing out on the stage. She is handing over responsibility of the story’s ambitions and goals to someone else as it were. This is essentially the “lie” that sits in juxtaposition to the stories thematic truth.

“Why does she make this choice?” we should ask. Is it a lack of confidence, fear of failure, shyness, lack of commitment? The answer to this question sits in the backstory that you can read here soon.

ACT 2

FIRST PLOT POINT – the match is officially lit and held over the tinder of the conflict – everything changes for the main character.

Once upon the time of now, Starman Sam was sent to earth on a mission by Ultra Violet, the Star Queen of the Night Sky

When Imogen’s crude drawing of the starman is manifested as a real person thrust into the performance of her story – Imogen is as surprised and awestruck as we are!

I’m not sure what she thought might happen at this point but it feels like the arrival of Sam is a super magical event taking us to the magical world of the adventure. The fact that Imogen “disappears” on screen at this point as she melds into her drawing of the StarMan which then morphs into the real Sam, supports the notion that Sam and Imogen are complements of one another in the story.

(Maybe what she envisgaged would happen here is that she herself would “pretend to be StarMan Sam” and perform as him in her conception of the story. But no … magic happened and a real StarMan Sam has arrived!!!)

SO … Imogen leaves the normal world in a magical moment of transformation … she dissolves into her drawing and the real StarMan Sam emerges and is thrust through the screen.

StarMan Sam with his real world dilemmas courtesy of Ultra Violet arrives in the story … through the door of the night sky.

He will be the spark for her change from storyteller/idealist to protagonist/realist.

SAM’S BACKSTORY – THE STAKES ARE HIGH!!

Sam arrives on earth-world 7 (known locally as planet earth) seeking a way home. He knows his way home is through Ultra Violet. She’s the StarQueen of the Night Sky. She’s his boss.

I’ve been on the road for 6 long weeks – a week for each of the 6 parallel earth-worlds of the Sevenwell Multi-Verse. All in all, it has been a dismal star trip. Usually I would’ve nailed a success by now and gone home. I didn’t really want to go on this trip in the first place. Not with our first newly born only 4 months old! But hey, a job is a job. And we need the money.

Nah!! To be honest; it’s more than a job. I love it. I really do. And I’m good at it! But the timing is wrong and maybe I’ve been a bit distracted. I’ve been so keen to get home; maybe I’m just trying too hard. The roll of a StarMan is to fulfill his story mission by staying true and here I am for the first time ever, caught up in “the last chance of no-return.”

Being a StarMan is very high-paid and respected work. A successful career as a StarMan or Star Woman almost assures you a position as an Elder of the Rainbow in your retirement years. Pretty satisfying career path all in all. A vocation. A passion. When things go right.

So – time to focus. I must not fail. I will not become stranded. I must get home!

ANALYSIS OF BACKSTORY

Sam arrives with an awareness of the stakes. He comes armed as always with his tools of trade – music and colour and an understanding of story and the need for connection. And so he begins by engaging and unravelling and unfathoming what’s what. He knows he must find the plot and knows that Ultra Violet will be instrumental in helping that to occur. With Ultra Violet and Imogen (who he’s not yet aware of), he must discover what the story needs and take it to its end – the end it needs to fulfill its purpose – he must stay true. He must work at the edges of his intuition. He must work out what the world of the story is and then be what it needs. Find the flow and the path. Find his own purpose in its weave and the purpose of all those who are present. He needs to be an active agent. He’s got to find his truth in the story.

But can he stay on task? He’s distracted and drained by his yearning to be home even though he knows its a means to and end. The truth is that he’s lost touch a little with the means by being too distracted by the ends.

ACT 2

Remember that at the beginning of Act2, StarMan Sam arrives onstage and begins his reconnaisance of the new world, identifing and connecting with all six starkids bringing them together through music and colour – bells, droplets and Sams music.

• Sam plays his tuning fork, whistles C into the droplet and holds it up
• the C starchild’s droplet lights flashes with interference
• Sam places his droplet opposite the childs
• Sam and child play together and resolve the song
• Child’s droplet and light pool is the outcome.

• As above for E starchild

• As above for G starchild
• Once he has the melody going with G – he moves across and gets D going then F then A
• As this happens their droplets light up
• Finally the segment is resolved with a note by note build up the scale leaving the light pools and droplets in their colours.1,2,3,4,5,6 ….
• Sam sings the missing 7th into his droplet
• The screen responds by revealing Imogen with Ultra Violet. who says … (see below)

FIRST PINCH POINT – a small but important turning point – a reminder of the antagonists power to impact the plot….

*Once upon the time of now … Ultra Violet, Star Queen of the Night Sky introduced StarMan Sam to Imogen …. To StarMan Sam, she says – “before you go home to your loved ones, you must successfully complete your mission here on earth, which is to find someone to take your place as the music and colour keeper of the seven little wonders

To StarMan Sam, she said – you must find someone to take your place here on earth before the night sky will allow you to return home to your loved ones.

• Sam in response to this direction looks to the StarKids then back to Imogen.
• He goes to the OP group of StarKids and gets them to stand in their lights and move forward at the ready
• He looks up to Imogen
• Then he goes to the PS group of StarKids and gets them to stand in their lights and move forward at the ready
• He then points to Imogen
• He takes off his coat and hangs it up and indicates to her that she should do the same – he’s saying roll your sleeves up we’ve got work to do … “finding someone to take my place”
• She shrugs but follows his lead – hanging her coat in the night sky
• He gives her the thumbs up … rubs his hands together in anticipation and turns to the audience and gestures for everone to put their hands up in the air
• He turns to Imogen and includes her … and she responds so that if anyone hasn’t got the message by now – after seeing Imogen do it – they will.
• To the soundtrack, they all do the star-dance with him
• He asks for the downlight – and the sequence of the stop-go game begins leading to the selection of the “red star-child”.

At the end of the game, Ultra Violet visits again to direct us into the next part of the adventure. NOTE: Our story has led us to believe that the stop_go game is Sam’s means for selecting the “someone to take your place here on earth before the night sky will allow you to return home to your loved ones.”

MIDPOINT OR SECOND PLOT POINT  A “Turning Point” wherein the protagonist is changed from a passive force to an active force in the story.

Ultra Violet initiates the MID turning point with her announcement. Imogen is surprised and confused by UV’s pronouncement. It is NOT Imogen’s expectation that she will be called upon to play a role in the story. She conveys her confusion non-verbally.

However, when things are explained to her and she understands what’s at stake for StarMan Sam, she’s in on the journey to find a solution.

(Imogen and StarMan Sam’s paths, goals, wants and needs are mirror images of one another. They are each others complement. Ultra Violet exists as a themetic counterpoint to Imogen and Sam.)

MIDPOINT ~ SECOND PLOT POINT

Congratulations! You have been chosen! Come with me to the night sky to dance the star-dance with Imogen so that she can be part of the story to help Starman Sam return home to his wife and child.|

Imogen so that she speaks with Sam who responds through music

IMOGEN’S DIALOGUE: 

I wasn’t expecting this to happen
To be in my story I mean.
I’m not sure I understand…. why?


(Sam responds in music accompaninied by video)

Are they your family?
You miss them.
(Sam’s music intensifies)
You miss them very much!
I’m not sure what to do?

(Ultra Violet provides the answer)

To complete StarMan Sam’s mission you must create a star within a star, dance the star dance together and agree to become the keepers of music and colour here on earth … Create a star within a star …. find the missing piece… piece … piece…

They make the star within a star.

SECOND PINCHPOINT – involves another blow to the protanogist. Imogen realises that the missing piece is her doing and there appears to be no simple solution.

The dynamics of the Second Pinch-Point are built into the sequence of video interventions of Ultra Violet that follow.

AFTER COMPLETING BIG STAR, UV she says: For StarMan Sam to return home to his wife and child, you must first complete the star within the star …

AFTER COMPLETING THE LITTLE STAR UV says:  *The seven parts of “seven” make the whole – complete the star – find the misssing piece.

The video segments direct Imogen and Sam to place the star corners which reveals what is missing – the seventh corner.

AFTER PLACING THE SIX PIECES UV repeats: *Withoutthe seven parts of SEVEN, the Star is not complete.

We see a video image of the last piece being placed. It fades into an image of the coat hanging in the night sky with the missing piece on the back of it.

Imogen: I left it behind! *

UltraViolet: (sombre/broken) Without the missing piece, the StarMan can’t go home …  

Video reveals an image of StarMan Sam’s wife and child 

Sam looks up and speaks to the image … 

SAM: Nor cula … maka … anya …. bar bey … you ka 

SAM SINGS THE BLUES

Plot Point 2: After the calamity of Pinch Point 2, the protagonist finds the way through.

Imogen lures Sam out of the blues by calling him back to the essence of music, colour, dance and connection. (his truth)

Her response comes from a deeply intuitive place within her in a fully improvised and unexpected way responding from her own place of feeling helpless and guilty.

Sometimes all you can do is to offer what you can in the spirit of love and kindness and therein lies the power of art and creation.

It’s a gentle awakening for all – through an engagement between Imogen and Sam with the bells, then with them and the children which connects them through colour as well all building and leading to the arrival of the missing piece – which leads them to dance together.

Climax and Resolution: The story’s primary conflict is resolved. The protagonists are tranformed.

You have made a star within a star and danced the Star Dance together … so if you agree to be the music and colour keepers of the seven little wonders here on earth with Imogen as your Star Queen –  then raise your arms together and ring the bells … to show your support. 

 I welcome StarQueen Imogen and her Star Children as the music and colour keepers of the seven little wonders here on earth. 

StarMan Sam …. Your mission here is now complete and the night sky welcomes you to return home to your wife and child, who are waiting to see you back home.

Once upon the time of now, Star Queen Imogen and the Star Children of planet earth became The Seven Little Wonders….and because it’s a story of NOW – it is yours to continue and yours to share. (they all place their neck bracelets in the circle)

Little Star, Little Star
Up above the world so high
Little Star, Little Star
Like a diamond in the sky

SYMBOLISM – AN ANALYSIS OF SORTS

The 7 pointed star is drawn by Ultra Violet as the prelude to the performance, forecasting that both Ultra Violet and The Star are key players in the story. We are told by Ultra Violet that in order to complete StarMan Sam’s mission they must create a star within a star and find a missing piece.

Symbolically, the big star represents StarMan Sam …. the little star is Imogen and the six Star Children who will take Sam’s place. Imogen is the missing piece of the little star. The climax completes the little star and defines the “little star’s” purpose and function.

In the climactic scene, Imogen and company: find/retrieve the missing piece, complete the star with a star, dance the star dance together and pledge to be the colour and music keepers of the 7LWS allowing StarMan Sam (the Big Star) to return home.

Imogen’s role in the story changes from being the storyteller to being hero.

Imogen’s wants her ideas to bring about change BUT she needs is to act to bring about change IN HERSELF AND HER WORLD.

She moves from being a voyeur to a voyager; an onlooker to a participant.

Life is a call to action – Don’t judge me by what I say; judge me by what I do.

Life’s Big LIE – I know who I am and what I need. It’s all under control.

The Seven Pointed Star – a symbol of connection, completion and wonder. It has one plane of symmetry and the top corner (the missing piece) is the hinge that connects the two symmetrical sides,

For me, the star reflects the two sides of the brain – . the logic and whimsy sides … and how both sides need each other and how human creative and exprerssion comes from the bobbing and weaving of whimsy and logic in equal measure. It represents the cosmic forces of colour, music and metaphysical alchemy inherent in the unfathomable mysteries of life, existence and meaning.

It’s telling me that curiosity and wonder and openness and a willingness to living alongside “unknowingness” is a truism.

The “Little Star Song” asks the question – “Little Star, Little Star – how I wonder what you are?”

The answer to the question is possibly the second part of the song. “Somewhere over the rainbow; there’s a starman, waiting in the sky”.

The answer to what is the star – is to be found in the starman.

The starman brings music and colour to the children … but that is not enough …. ultra-violet must also be in the story if answers are to be found.

Is this an encoding of the theme of the story? The star image and song – it’s colour and music – contains the elements of the 7 little wonders – the seven notes of music and the seven colours of the rainbow and they come together to make the star – formed from one straight line to make something of mystery, beauty, truth, wonder .

As a symbol of contemplation, ther star can be seen as something balanced and pure and complete and eternal in essence – something brimimg with meaning and truth and beauty and magic and mystery … representing the glimpses we get of awe, beauty, wonder, truth through our escapades around art and creation.

The Rainbow – All the colors of the rainbow are different and unique iand combine to create one magnificent whole . Rainbows in many cultures and religions are considered to be gateways, paths, or portals or bridge between the human and spiritual worlds.

Seven – represents the mysterious, unknown, unpredibtable, unfathomable, whimsical and chaotic essences of existence … it’s aligned to “violet”, the 7th colour of the Newton’s rainbow and the 7th note of the diatonic musical scale of C. (“B”) If there are 7 steps comprising the rainbow then the seventh “violet” step is a stepping off place – the entrance into the void of the unknown … into deep space … through the door to the other side … the spiritual world or the dream world or “imagined worlds … or the worlds of “ultra violet”

Ultra Violet – is beyond seven … it is part of the spectrum that is not visible to the human eye … so for me it represents the allure and mystery of the unknown and unknowable … the place of wonder, truth, beauty, awe … things we can glimpse but never know nor understand nor capture.