The NeverEnding Story
In May of 2019, SoulSpeak Studios had the absolute pleasure of helping bring the nostalgic characters of Michael Ende’s classic novel to life in a stage adaptation of The NeverEnding Story. The play was adapted by David S. Craig, and this production was presented by Little Rock, Arkansas’s Studio Theatre and directed by Michael Goodbar.
Michael Goodbar was also the talent behind many of the play’s other creative elements, including costumes, makeup, props, and lighting design. You can find more of his amazing work here.
SoulSpeak Studios was responsible for the creative design and fabrication of many classic characters such as Artax, Gmork, Falkor the Luck Dragon, and others. The Lead Designer and Fabricator was Allyson Bode, with help from the following wonderfully talented friends:
Michael Goodbar ▪ Brea Williams ▪ Alanna Cropley ▪ Courtney Speyer ▪ Mary Boyer ▪ Edward Boyer ▪ Bo Bode
Thank You all from the bottom of my heart
“If you have never wept bitter tears because a wonderful story has come to an end and you must take your leave of the characters with whom you have shared so many adventures, whom you have loved and admired, for whom you have hoped and feared, and without whose company life seems empty and meaningless.
If such things have not been part of your own experience, you probably won't understand what Bastian did next.”
― Michael Ende, The Neverending Story
Atreyu riding Falkor the Luck Dragon
The Studio Theatre’s production of The NeverEnding Story
Directed by Michael Goodbar
Design and Fabrication by Allyson Bode of SoulSpeak Studios
Artax
“Artax, please. You're letting the sadness of the swamps get to you. You have to try, you have to care. For me, I'm your friend, I love you.” ~Atreyu
Artax is Atreyu’s faithful Steed. Artax was designed with the actor in mind, giving the impression and silhouette of a horse, without obscuring sound and visibility for performance. He was created using EVA foam and Worbla. His mane is made of yarn and hair, and the headpiece was painted to represent the weathered metal of an old warrior’s helmet.
Gmork
“I am the servant, of the power behind The Nothing. I was sent to kill the only one, who could've stopped The Nothing, I lost him in the Swamps of Sadness. His name, was Atreyu!„ ~ Gmork
Gmork is represented in both the movie and the 1984 film as a wolf-like creature. His wolf base was sculpted in clay then cast in fiberglass. Facial structures were added in foam, then fur was cut and pieced together for the final look.
Ygramul “The Many”
“Even when I was caught in the web, I didn't give up hope. And as you see, I was right.” ~Falkor
Ygramul is a villain present in both the original novel and stage adaptation, but not the 1984 film. Ygramul, or “The Many”, is a shapeshifter that often takes the form of a giant spider and catches Falkor and Atreyu in her web. For the stage production, we had one central character playing Ygramul, and several “minion” characters to help create a powerful silhouette reminiscent of a spider. A headpiece, neck piece, and bodice were all created out of strips of foam, and bracers and grieves were created using EVA foam for the main character and minions for additional spider-like tendrils.
Morla
“We don't even care whether or not we care.” ~Morla, the Ancient One
Morla, The Ancient One, is a giant turtle who lives in the Swamps of Sadness. For our design of Morla, we did not want to go too literal in the depiction of a turtle. Instead, we took the idea of a turtle shell and translated it into an ancient armor. The breast plate, skirt, and shoulder pauldrons were made of EVA foam, and painted in the natural color scheme of a turtle. The cape was sewn and trimmed with gold as a subtle nod to a shell.
Falkor the Luck Dragon
"Never give up and good luck will find you". ~Falkor
Falkor is optimistic, friendly, helpful, and wise. Atreyu finds Falkor caught in Ygramul’s web and they escape together. In our stage production, Falkor was a four person puppet consisting of a head with moving jaw, four string puppet legs, two wings, and a tail. The head was a fiberglass shell, with shape created with foam, then covered with fur and iridescent scales. His eyes were clear acrylic spheres filled with foam and multi-colored rhinestones. Two puppeteers each controlled a set of legs, sewn and stuffed, and moved by strings. One puppeteer wore long sleeves with foam feathers attached for wings, and a tail attached to the back of the last puppeteer, supported with wire, which moved with the actor’s steps.
The Four Wind Giants
In the novel and play, there are four giants who guard the winds of Fantastica. They constantly fight and cause the separation of Atreyu and Falkor. On stage, we represented their differing personalities with extravagant wigs. Each wig was hand made by creating wefts from colored hair and attaching them to an under structure. Each was unique to the particular wind character: Lirr, the black North Wind, Sheerek, the sulfur-yellow South Wind, Baureo, the leaden-gray East Wind, and Mayestri, the fiery-red West Wind
