Big Theatre for Little People - Geva Theatre

Jaunt: A short
trip, usually for
pleasure
Enchant: To attract,
delight
or charm
Sequester:
Withdraw to a
private or out of the
way place
Mother Tongue:
A person’s native
language (first
language or the language
that a family
speaks
at home)
Literal: Exact meaning
of a word or
words
Idiom: A specialized
vocabulary used by
a group of people
Rivalry: The act of
trying to equal or
outdo another
Viable: Practical
Interview with the Translators
Anita and Alex Page
As I understand it, the two of you translated Noodle Doodle Box
from the original German play in 1979. What inspired you to
bring this story to English speaking audiences?
We were both in Germany at the time. Anita and one of her friends
went off on a theatre jaunt, mostly in Berlin (I was in Freiburg).
Both ladies were utterly enchanted with what became Noodle
Doodle Box. Even though their German wasn’t that good. Anita
thought it would make a good play in English.
Can you tell us about the process?
We sequestered ourselves in the living room of an apartment. I
am totally familiar with German (it being my mother tongue) and
offered a literal translation of a given passage or sentence, while
Anita changed it to what was more likely to be in the kids’ idiom.
What was your greatest challenge in creating the script?
The greatest challenge was to get the tone right. Also the title
Kikerikiste was perfectly o.k. in German, but the English translation
would be Cockadoodledoo Box. I hit upon Noodle Doodle Box
and it seemed just right.
Have you seen the play since?
Yes, we have seen the play several times since and
were impressed by how different directors gave it varying
interpretations.
Noodle Doodle Box seems to lend itself to creative interpretation.
In your opinion, what is this play about?
To my mind, the play is about misplaced rivalry, resolved by
realizing that cooperation can often solve a problem.
Do you have any advice for young aspiring playwrights?
The best advice is to ignore advice. The second best advice is to
let their imagination fly, however not without being anchored in
something viable in the here and now.
“You want to be part of a joke, don’t you?”
Drum Major
6
By using our
imaginations we
can transform a
box into anything
from a house to an
airplane. How would
you transform a box
and what kinds of
adventures would
you have in it?