Andy Packer, artistic director of Slingsby, has
dreamt of being in a band – a band of theatre practitioners that is. Now he’s
exactly where he wants to be with the company having formed in March last year.
This week he is in Mt Gambier immersed in creative development for Slingsby’s second production, Wolf, and next week the company’s
inaugural show, The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy opens as part of the Adelaide Festival
Centre’s Summer Family Fun program (Jan 21-25 2008).
Of course this
busy schedule involves the rest of Slingsby’s “band” members, including Finegan Kruckemeyer (playwright), Quentin Grant (composer) and Geoff Cobham (designer) along with Jodi
Glass (executive producer), all highly skilled
practitioners in their own right.
So, what is Slingsby
and how did it all come about? The company’s mission is “To captivate people 10
years and up, far and wide, with world-of-theatre experiences of empathy and wonder.”
Slingsby
members gather around this unifying vision having already collaborated over the
years on various arts projects. But, to trace Slingsby’s beginnings to the
sparkle in Packer’s eye, we must go back even further....
Packer, as performer and creator with
Ricochet Theatre (regional touring company 1994-2001), was already
observing primary school audience responses to theatre rich in empathy and
wonder, and content that was emotionally complex. Adult theatre wasn’t right for
the mid to upper primary school students and fairy tales were also missing the
mark. As Packer says, “at 10 or 12 years, they start seeing themselves as an individual
and are up for being taken more seriously.” This observation planted the seed
of an idea that he was keen to pursue. At a similar time he saw the ‘Little
Match Girl’ by Gruppe 38 (Aarhus, Denmark) which was in line with the style of
work he had been dreaming about.
at 10 or 12 years, [children] start seeing themselves as an individual
and are up for being taken more seriously
- Andy Packer
Following a research lead, Packer discovered
Edward Lear’s stories, “Four little people who went around the world”, written
for and based on four real children, one of whom was called Slingsby. In
adulthood, inspired by the childhood stories, Slingsby travelled around the
world (in the
late 1800’s), bringing back
stories from different cultures he encountered. Besides the research uncovering
the company’s name so early in the piece, it also gave a rich source of stories
to inspire work in coming years.
Slingsby’s appearance, if not on stage, commenced as early as 2001 with funding support given
to the concept development of The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy. In 2002 a second creative
development took place, this
time for The Third
Dave and three years later there was the creative
development of Ode to Nonsense; all of which are contributing to the company’s work to date.
Dreams for Slingsby are on a grand scale
compared to its lean operation which runs from a home office and hired rehearsal
space when needed. As one of Adelaide’s three new professional theatre
companies to gain triennial support in March 2007 through Arts SA’s Theatre
Development Strategy, it has meant extensive planning for the next three years
and beyond. Even in Slingsby’s short history as a company, they are well on the way to realising
their plan, amongst other things, to produce one new work each year.
The Tragical
Life of Cheeseboy premiered
late in 2007 and is a timeless tale of growing up. In 2008 the show has a hefty
performance schedule including the upcoming Adelaide Festival Centre season, the
16th ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival celebrating
theatre for children and young people (Adelaide May 9-18) and regional schools
touring in June and July. Wolf, a physical theatre piece, is well into its
creative development and late in October is set to premier in Mt Gambier. Man
Covets Bird is a
theatre and sound extravaganza looking at how to deal with the evolution of
one’s opinions, while Ode to Nonsense, an opera, looks at how we need to grow up to be
successful. Last in the list to date is “V”, an outdoor installation piece based on Voyager 1
and the question, ‘are we alone in the universe?’ The company’s content covers
a broad range of topics with huge challenges set in style changes; a key point
for company members to maintain their sense of possibility and inspiration.
Straddling these shifts in style and content is Slingsby’s
desire to explore a sense of wonder and possibility, where theatre can create
an opening in a world that is portrayed as black and white. Packer’s interest
is in theatre that has a sense of timelessness and where the exploration of internal
struggle as well as optimism is possible. He sees theatre as having a “soothing
role”, or quoting his partner Jane, theatre provides “ointment for the human
condition.”
At long last, a
“band” making and delivering “ointment for the human condition.” May Slingsby live long and prosper,
allowing it’s ensemble of artists to present entertaining, challenging, engaging
and soothing work for anyone 10 years and up; and anywhere from the South
Australian outback to Aarhus and New York.
Thring is Back3RRR and Hoy Polloy Theatre take a look at the Hollywood actor with the monstrous moniker - Thring The Thing. Paul Andrew interviews Director Wayne Pearn and Actor Michael F. Cahill
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Andy Packer, artistic director of Slingsby, has
dreamt of being in a band – a band of theatre practitioners that is. Now he’s
exactly where he wants to be with the company having formed in March last year.
This week he is in Mt Gambier immersed in creative development for Slingsby’s second production, Wolf, and next week the company’s
inaugural show, The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy opens as part of the Adelaide Festival
Centre’s Summer Family Fun program (Jan 21-25 2008).
Straddling these shifts in style and content is Slingsby’s
desire to explore a sense of wonder and possibility, where theatre can create
an opening in a world that is portrayed as black and white. Packer’s interest
is in theatre that has a sense of timelessness and where the exploration of internal
struggle as well as optimism is possible. He sees theatre as having a “soothing
role”, or quoting his partner Jane, theatre provides “ointment for the human
condition.”
