'I LOVE YOU, BRO.'
‘Three To A Room’ are an internationally acclaimed Independent Theatre Company originating from Melbourne, Australia. The following is taken from an interview conducted with producer and press manager, Charlotte Strantzen.
Ok, could you tell me first a bit about the Theatre Company and how you formed?
Three to a Room formed when myself and my two co-founders were working on a production called 'Macbeth Re-Arisen' - a zombie schlock-horror sequel to Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'! - for White Whale Theatre, another Melbourne-based theatre company. The show was on tour at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and Claire Glenn, Ellen Gales and I found we very much enjoyed working together and had a similar vision for the sort of theatre we'd like to create. Without a very long-term plan in mind, we tentatively formed the company in order to bring a particular production (Darragh Martin's 'An Air Balloon Across Antarctica') to the following year's Edinburgh Fringe. We named the company according to our Fringe experience, where the three of us shared a single room into which were crammed three beds, three people and three sets of luggage! At the 2007 Fringe, following a short but successful fundraising season in Melbourne. It was very warmly received by audiences and critics, and we decided to continue with the production to the 2008 Adelaide Fringe Festival (the world's second largest Arts festival, after Edinburgh). Around this time, we were approached by Sisters Grimm to produce their show, 'Mommie & the Minister', in Edinburgh in 2008, and also by the team behind 'I Love You, Bro', which had enjoyed a hugely successful Melbourne Fringe debut in 2007. 'Mommie' performed in Melbourne and Edinburgh and then was put to bed, but 'Bro' was the gift that just kept on giving - on the strength of the Edinburgh season, we were offered a three-week season at Melbourne's prestigious Malthouse Theatre (February 2009), a night's engagement in the Spiegel tent (March 2009), and several stops on the current UK tour, which took in the Uppingham Theatre (Leicestershire), South Hill Park Arts Centre (Berkshire), the Absolut Dublin Gay Theatre Festival and the Pleasance Islington. An Australian national tour is tentatively planned before the production concludes at this stage by the end of 2009.
How do you feel the company has evolved since its creation?
With a very steep learning curve! Claire, Ellen and I luckily found we had differing areas of interest and skills, which naturally blended into an effective and efficient team. Three years has showed us both our strengths and weaknesses, and as our first real break approaches, we look forward to strengthening the business structure of the company, shading in some of those skills-gaps with other team members, and switching our focus to the next projects. We have learnt so much and progressed as theatre-makers, and have also clarified what we want to achieve through the company and in which direction we'd like to head. Our primary aim remains to promote the work of up-and-coming playwrights on the national and international stage.
As a company, who or what influences you?
I wouldn't say we have identified any specific influences. We learnt a lot from our work with White Whale Theatre, and the two companies have been strong supporters of each other's work. We have also been supported and advised by outdoor touring company Essential Theatre, and arts organizations A is for Atlas and the Australia Cultural Fund. Individually, I'm sure we all have drawn influence from various sources, but as a collective I think we've really formed our own vision without consciously drawing on particular influences.
How do you differentiate yourselves from other companies?
There are many, many independent theatre companies in Melbourne, but we differ in that we are one of the few (or only?) small, independent collectives specifically formed to tour really strong Australian work. There are several Melbourne companies who tour nationally to specific audiences, such as schools or wineries, and large companies who tour large-scale, funded productions internationally, and now - although not so much when we started - small groups who form with the specific purpose of taking one show overseas, and then often disband afterwards and move on to other projects. We remain unfunded, have toured internationally three times in our short history, and aim to continue doing so frequently. We think is a production is worth seeing, it should be made available to audiences everywhere, who might otherwise never get the chance to see something like that.
Are there certain themes or preoccupations running through your projects?
Not intentionally, aside from there always being an Australian connection, which is deliberate, although the productions don't need to be entirely Australian for us to produce them; 'An Air Balloon Across Antarctica' was written by an Irish playwright but was set in Melbourne; 'I Love You, Bro' was inspired by real events in Manchester but was written by an Australian playwright. Interestingly, we have produced two plays with themes of homosexuality, and have another on the agenda in the future, however this wasn't prescribed - the pieces that grabbed our attention just happened to share this thread. Whilst we will always hope to be a 'queer-friendly' company, we have other projects with a different focus on the agenda and don't
How do you go about working on a piece from day one?
Thus far we have only produced one piece of theatre from day one, and the other two were previously existing works that we were asked to produce elsewhere. With 'Air Balloon', we chose the piece, approached the playwright for the rights, interviewed potential directors, invited a select group of people to audition, appointed a designer, and then rehearsed and performed the piece across four seasons. Simultaneously, we researched and approached potential venues, made travel and accommodation arrangements, insured the production and the team, marketed the show and did all the other bits and bobs associated with production. Two of us were also performing in the piece! It was a very busy but rewarding process.
Do your productions require a great deal of research into the subject matter?
Yes and no. Obviously the playwrights will have researched the subject matter thoroughly, particularly with 'I Love You, Bro', which was inspired by real events. The playwright, Adam Cass, spent hundreds of hours researching the events, gaining special access to records, and molding it all into a theatrical script, and I think this work is evident when watching the show. The actors and directors, too, have a responsibility to research particular aspects of the production. As producers, we do our own research and also glean quite a bit of knowledge from the production process, which is important so we can effectively market the shows and talk about the subject matter with authority and in a way that (hopefully!) draws interest.
Do you feel audience reception in England differs from that in Australia?
To some extent, yes - I think audiences differ everywhere. We didn't notice it so much in Edinburgh, as the audiences there tend to be very varied and from all over the world. In Ireland, we were surprised to find the audiences drew a lot more humour from the production than in other places - a local pointed out that the Irish way of coping with hardship and painful situations is to have a laugh and keep the spirits lifted wherever possible. In England, we have found the marketing techniques and materials required are quite different to Australia, and we haven't pinpointed exactly why as yet. We were also prepared to meet with some suspicion, as an Australian company presenting an English story to the home audiences, however we have generally not found that to be an issue.
What are ‘Three to a Room’s’ plans for the rest of 2009 and beyond?
For the rest of 2009, we plan to focus on wrapping up our production of 'I Love You, Bro', then taking a bit of a breather, as we haven't had a chance to do so since we formed the company! We will look at doing some restructuring and some more of the boring company business that is nevertheless necessary to keep things running smoothly. In 2010, we have two planned productions: premiere seasons of Joanna Erskine's 'K.I.J.E.' in Melbourne and Sydney, and the Melbourne debut of Siobhan Colman's 'The Pyramid'. 'K.I.J.E.' is an award-winning script based on an old Russian tale about four soldiers in an unspecified war, who cope with the horrors presented to them by creating a fictional soldier who becomes a scapegoat for all the actions they can't reconcile with their own consciences. 'The Pyramid' is a three-handed piece, told through a series of monologues, depicting an unconventional and bittersweet love story through the eyes of a woman, her husband, and her dog.
‘Three To A Room’ will no doubt be returning to the U.K soon, keep an eye out next time your at the Fringe.
Comments
No comments yet. Use the form above to have your say.
