Trading Faces has been running since 1987 and after moving from Oxfordshire two years ago they're now based in Bishop's Castle, just a stone's throw away from the shiny new SpArC Arts Centre, at the Community College. During July 2006 a group of nine kids spent a week working with Trading Faces to create their own masks and put on a show from scratch.
Inner Spark has been commissioned by Castle Community Leisure and it's been a fresh experience for many of the children involved. The power of the performance lies in the mask, as Tony Davies of Trading Faces explained: "Masks generate a spontaneous interest in theatres which you don鈥檛 get anywhere else." The masks have also inspired a surprising reaction among the children involved: "It made me more confident in theatre behind the mask, the mask is the barrier between you and the audience" The masks at SpArC were incredibly striking -听You see a mask and instantly you interpret not only the expression but the character of the mask, whether it's moody or happy, good or evil, etc. The Trading Faces theatre company creates and uses masks in all of their productions to conjure a powerful theatre experience. The masks themselves take nearly a week to create because of the long drying time involved with the silicon rubber they use, called silastic. However there is plenty to do while the mask's drying, like putting on a show.
 | | Tony Davies and Simon Hutchens |
The performance is totally silent apart from incidental music and sound effects and the only explanation of plot will be expressed physically through the characters' body language and relationships with each other. One of the shows which they've developed is based around a park and the numerous characters you might expect to find there, such as a grumpy park keeper an old man, a dog and a thief. Unlike actors' faces masks can't be altered. So half way through the show the grumpy character with the grumpy mask can't suddenly become sad or happy. Therefore when the masks are created their final use needs to be fully understood. The masks' characteristics revolve around six 'archetypes' - The Fool, Carer, Hero, Trickster, Monarch and Innocent. These are then blended to develop their characters and add depth. Acting in a mask however can be difficult as Tony Davies went on the explain: "Your view is restricted. It's like looking through binoculars. To see something the entire face moves so we know where the character is looking"
 | | Masks by Trading Faces |
And then of course there's getting into character. One of the main things the workshop teaches is to look at the mask, adopt its face and mimic the body language associated with it, before then putting the mask on. This is because once you're wearing the mask there's no way to remind yourself of how you look. There are no mirrors or lines so it's up to the actor to have the mental image of the character and to behave like that. "The mask changes you, it turns you into the mask." The project is fascinating and the complexity of not only the masks but the theory behind them is incredible. | "It made me more confident in theatre behind the mask, the mask is the barrier between you and the audience" | | Performer |
As well as the workshops at SpArC, there's an exhibition running until September displaying some of the masks and the history of Trading Faces. They will also be performing their show at the Michaelmas Festival on the 23 September when they hope to develop more characters and of course more masks. Definitely worth a visit. | 
