21.25 (22.25)
2nd – 27th August
(Not 15th)
(Answers
from Henry Maynard – artistic director of Flabbergast Theatre and
Dylan Tate – creative director/company manager of Flabbergast
Theatre)
What
was the inspiration for this performance?
Dylan - Through
all of the Boris & Sergey series we have seen the characters on
the hunt for fame. This time we wanted to show them at the height of
the careers, entertaining the crowds in the golden age of Hollywood.
Boris & Sergey fit well into different periods of time but it was
watching old movie reels of famous hosts in a time gone by that gave
us inspiration for the show’s setting. With the fame and fortune we
liked sticking closely to the idea of 'what goes up must come down’.
Henry - I
really enjoyed the idea that Sergey was desperate to do his one
man oeuvre to convince everyone of his burgeoning talent as
a master of physical theatre.
An incredibly
pretentious affair taking inspiration from Kafka, Brecht,
Artaud, Beckett and the early work of Steven Berkoff, this leads
to life that is poetic struggle, a misunderstood artist
struggling on the fringes of the theatrical landscape. Boris
really hasn't been considered by our self absorbed
protagonist but have no fear he has a few tricks up his sleeve.
Is
performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?
Dylan
- Yes
absolutely! As artists/creatives we gravitate towards something that
is close to our hearts either subconsciously or purposively. We then
put them in front of the public who connect to that theme in one of
the aforementioned ways.
The stories we tell are not specific to
Boris & Sergey but are universal to us as people who have
friends, colleagues and families. Even if performance is used as an
ice breaker, a way to connect people with different views to come
together, then it is a worthy platform for any discussion.
Henry
- I
think that a good performance will always spark debate and
discussion of something and certainly it is a unique platform on
which we can present ideas.
Our Boris & Sergey shows tend not to
be too didactic in approach but we love exploring the characters and
their humanity. Although we can be whimsical there is a wealth of
deeper material in Boris & Sergey should you ever wish to pull
the comedic curtain to the side and peer into the murk.
How
did you become interested in making performance?
Dylan
- I
started as a performer through education and then headed off to drama
school. I always sought out companies that devised their own work, it
really opened up a new world for me.
As a company we consider our
devisors as a huge asset and it makes the work we produce more
personal and satisfying when it comes to the opening night.
Henry
- I
trained as an actor and set up Flabbergast Theatre partly through a
frustration, I wanted to explore puppetry and physical theatre on my
own terms, to train in, perform and teach all of the fantastic
avant-garde theatre styles that seem to make no money ever.
Is
there any particular approach to the making of the show?
Dylan
- We
rely heavily on improvisation when creating. Finding scenarios for
the puppets that make us belly laugh, sit on the edge of our seats
and feel real empathy for the characters.
We chuck some puppeteers on
stage and see what happens. Then we start to fine tune the movements
and beats in the dialogue. It is daunting at times when you start
with nothing but a loose idea, as the weeks pass you get a stronger
sense of what the show will be.
Henry -
We enjoy making shows that develop organically, it means that pieces
of work can take a long time to fully form (2 years is about right).
We use a living script with permission for our actors to occasionally
go off piste or try new gags or scenarios.
Much
like the Commedia
Dell’arte
model we have a loose structure with some rehearsed choreography but
anything in between is fair game. This makes the shows different, fun
and exciting to perform and to watch and adds an air of chaos to the
proceedings.
Does
the show fit with your usual productions?
Dylan
- Yes
it is completely the farcical chaotic world of Boris & Sergey
which our audiences have become so accustomed to. There is definitely
softer more touching moments within the madness of this show.
We are
very familiar with what works and what doesn’t when it comes to
Boris & Sergey and this show promises to please, we are very
excited about it. It hails back to our first outing with ‘Boris &
Sergey’s Vaudevillian Adventure’ high energy with a bitter sweet
sadness mixed in.
Henry - I
think this has the potential to be our best Boris & Sergey yet.
It takes what we have learnt about working with the boys over the
last 6 years and pushes them further and harder - more hilarity, more
pathos and some truly magical movements (and some fucking excellent
music).
What
do you hope that the audience will experience?
Dylan - Lots
of laughter and unexpected turns. There is always a lot of
improvisation in our shows as we always want to keep it fluid and not
stick to a script. They will experience what the performers are
experiencing and enter into a relationship with two leathery puppets.
Henry - Love,
Laughter, sadness, disappointment and joy. We aim to provide
an unpredictable rollercoaster of emotion and experience, I'd
like people to leave a little shell-shocked and not entirely sure
about what just happened.
What
strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?
Dylan
- We
want to keep them entertained with laughter, then turn a corner and
find that laughter turning into pity and warmth for the characters. A
reviewer described one of our shows as
"The result is that you leave with a
very different feeling to the positive hour beforehand. It felt like
having been invited to dinner by a friend and then being slapped in
the face over dessert”.
I
like that.
Henry
- Tear
the fourth wall down! We wholeheartedly believe that there is a live
experience and that we all have an experience together. You have to
be engaged and involved otherwise why bother?
Boris
& Sergey find their own way to engage the audience we just try to
divert the river.
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