ENCHANTED ISLANDS is a living art story project: a Faerie Queen Story Hour. Imagine wandering through the woods and finding yourself face to face with the Faerie Queen, book open on her lap, waiting to tell you a story. This developing and innovative project was created by writer-performer Melody Bates--that's me! I am writing these tales from a deep love and lifelong adventure in folklore, and a guiding desire to view these tales through a humane, feminist, queer-affirming lens, fundamentally rooted in partnership values, grounded in my belief in the human capacity to learn, grow, heal, and transform. Also, there are some jokes.
In July 2023 this project had its first public performances in the woods of Deer Isle, Maine, for which I collaborated with costume artist Jennifer Paar and Maine sculptor Peter Beerits. I wrote and performed three original fairy tales, in extraordinary couture costumes created by Paar, with sculptural elements created by Beerits. All performances were free, and took place in Beerits' magical woodland art park, and were attended by local residents and summer visitors. Audiences were transported and delighted. You can read more and view images from the July 2023 premiere at the website I've linked to in this application.
Back home in Brooklyn, I am now preparing for the NYC debut of one of the tales -- "All the Birds of the World." I am currently an artist in residence with 5th Wall Studios, a Williamsburg aerial arts performance space, and am developing a performance that will feature aerial flight, scheduled for April 4-6. This will be followed by a performance upstate at Stone Mountain Farm's annual Beltane festival in May. I have been invited to return to Deer Isle in the summer of 2024 to perform the three existing tales, and perhaps add a new one. I will continue to work with the art partners who have already contributed to this work, bringing in new collaborators as the work needs them.
As I continue to develop the project, I will write more tales, and work with my collaborators to create costumes and environments for them. I hope to do a crowdfunding campaign this spring to raise funds to cover the cost of materials and paying my artist collaborators. I am very excited to see what else we make, and the evolution of what we've made already.
