Trial in the Woods

Trial in the Woods by Stephanie Barber (2021)  This is a two-act play with all animal characters. In the first, short, act, various animals are participating in an exercise class during which an otter attacks and kills a young wolf. The second act, then, is the trial—presided over by Judge Bodon Boar. The prosecuting attorney is a lynx, the defense attorney a squirrel, and witnesses, jury, and media are comprised of different animals. They all speak, and have names, and individual, quirky personalities based on the species—but also translating to and illustrating types of human behavior. Some are annoying, some are lovely, and some are hilarious. There is humor throughout, ranging from coarse and obvious to subtle and sophisticated—and some nuanced and deep enough to reward repeat readings and discussion. Though I know courtroom dramas are popular with readers and viewers, I generally try to avoid them as much as I try to avoid courtrooms—but I thoroughly enjoyed this play, as it uses the courtroom to point out the absurdity of the situation (animals putting another animal on trial for murder). The most obvious thing the story brings up, of course, is to look at similar human behavior in a critical way. Human society, violent behavior, rules and laws—and then, of course, you’re led to think about the justice system, punishment, morals—on and on. These are questions that most thinking and feeling people grapple with to some degree or another, depending on how much weight you can bear at any given time—how much we rely on a god, or a society. The animals in this play occasionally consider humans—in a derisive way—which is funny, but makes you wonder—what do animals think of us? And how do we all live together? This led me to think about those instances when an animal—in the wild or in captivity—harms a human—how there is the need to punish, or “put down,” or control the animal. A lot to think about. Trial in the Woods is published as an attractive, small book, and it’s a relatively short play, but it’s really brimming with quandaries of all kinds. It’s entertaining as well—funny, heartwarming, sad, poetic—and as endlessly fascinating as the animals among us.