Lucia Dances with Nature Behind the Mask

Praise for Barbara in-mask: Barbara has distinguished herself by her ability to bring an offbeat charm to a variety of mask characters. Her playful physicality and keen understanding of her characters project the penetrating power necessary to harness the potential of the mask.

- Eric Bornstein, Artistic Director, Behind the Mask Theater

Lucia And Barbara Gazing
mask and costume by Deborah Coconis
photo by Barbara Michaels

I'm dancing strong behind my serene mask, striving for wild grace as a whirling goddess of nature. In mask, we talk with our bodies, seeking through physical empathy with the audience to magically affect different 'facial expressions' in our unchanging masks. To portray fear, I repeatedly recoil and shift my torso under my yellow dress. To evoke grief, I journey slowly through the audience with sad measured steps, towering closely over the children on the floor.

The Woman Who Outshone the Sun is an adaptation of a Guatemalan folktale about a woman who teaches a village to respect interdependence with nature and diversity among people. At the end of the show, members of Behind the Mask Theater remove our masks to answer questions. Children often are surprised to learn that we did not buy our masks in a store! A common question is, "How do you see?" I again don my mask and head into the audience, helping children find my playful eyes inside my mask. I move down the row, engaging children in this eager game of hide and seek!