THEATRE: THE ANIMALS AND CHILDREN TOOK TO THE STREETS

With the use of modern technology, British Theatre Company 1927 is kickin’ it old school. Film lovers Suzanne Andrade (writer), Esme Appleton (actor), Lillian Henley (musician) and Paul Bill Barritt (animator) enjoy a bit of nostalgia in their art form and are coming together to tell a dark fairytale set in a decrepit city full of fly-by-night characters. Lillian Henley takes a break from rehearsals in London to give us a sneak peak of what to expect.

Could you tell me a little bit about 1927?

We are a theatre company based in East London. We are an animator, writer, storyteller and musician joined together. We all come together in a very unique way using film, animation, projection and live performance with musical accompaniment to tell stories that are very different.

Will the experience be similar to watching a silent film?

There will be live music but there will also be live-action projection and lots of dialogue.

How hard is it to synchronize the acting with the animation behind you?

It takes quite a long time to coordinate the actor and animation to be working together.  It is quite a lengthy process. As much as it is cut and choreographed, I still have to give musical cues for the actor to get the timing precisely right.

How do you attract a younger audience to your shows?

Actually, most of our audience is young. We perform at cabarets and festivals put together by young people. We are very lucky to find the market for our show immediately. We’ve had people quite drunk at a bar who suddenly stop to listen to what were performing.

What was the most enjoyable thing about working on The Animals?

With the company, we were fortunate to do a lot of traveling. You’ve got people from different backgrounds being really positive about the show and we just want to entertain and make sure everyone is having a really good laugh. We are learning as we go but we enjoy the process of understanding and respecting each others’ skills.

Was there any country or audience that did not receive your style of theatre well?

We’ve got a very dry sense of humour and I think the audience expects that but every place is slightly different. Probably, when we in Macau. We had a great time but the audience was really quiet. I don’t think that necessarily meant they weren’t enjoying it but they had a different way of experiencing it. I don’t think they were used to loud laughs. And you also have people from different countries laughing at different moments but I don’t think the show was ever lost on anyone.

Why did you decide to come back to Australia?

Oh well, we were invited back and we couldn’t wait to come back. We had such a great time the last time. Australia was one of the best audiences we had.

20 – 31 Oct. The Studio, Sydney Opera House, $30-$49, 9250 7777, sydneyoperahouse.com