Lung Ha‘s aims to provide opportunities in theatre for people with learning difficulties. And as their next production Around the World in 80 Days approaches at Glasgow’s Platform theatre and Edinburgh’s Traverse, artistic director Maria Oller chatted to us about the leap from Chekhov to Fogg, and what we can expect from a new global adventure:
What brought you to Lung Ha’s as their AD?
Well before I became artistic director I was working on a production with Clark Crystal, who was the previous artistic director, and I really enjoyed it. I was also working as a clown-doctor so I’d been in contact with people who had learning disabilities, and I felt that there was so much more potential. I also thought it would be interesting to see how theatre can empower people. Then it was just the job growing on me really. And there are many am-dram groups where you do performances for your family within a sort of comfort zone, which is great, but I think with Lung Ha’s, I’ve tried to train the actors as well as direct them in order to try and create good theatre, which is something I’ve always believed in making.
Nearly all of Lung Ha’s productions involve ensemble, why is this a style of the company over straight theatre?
I think there’s a special energy around Lung Ha’s in its ensemble work rooted in the idea that the company builds something together as the collaboration work comes together from the individual. We received the CATS award for best ensemble last year and this sense of unity is what the company is about. Though the actors maintain a strong sense of individuality, particularly in the small-scale touring productions, the larger ensemble work reveals a wholeness to Lung Ha’s.
It’s part of an attempt to widen perspectives on life whilst giving the whole company a chance to experience another era
Why have you chosen Around the World in 80 Days as your next production?
Well it hasn’t been shown a lot in theatres, and I wonder why that is. The book is quite old-fashioned with the travelling across commonwealth countries only, so it can be seen as a bit dusty. But when you freshen it up it can be fantastic. This adaptation will be the UK premiere so it’s also about the statement we make on performing a text which, traditionally, has not been staged very often. It’s also about doing something new and light. Ultimately, it still involves the elements of ensemble that were in the previous show (Chekhov Shorts), but is a completely different production.
It’s part of an attempt to widen perspectives on life and the world itself whilst giving the whole company a chance to experience another era. In Chekhov Shorts there were only four actors performing from the company and Around the World in 80 Days involves the full cast of 23; so the grandeur of the adventure itself allows the full company to experience it.
How do you feel 80 Days provides new and different challenges for the company?
Traditionally, Lung Ha’s mostly performed devised shows, which no-one had heard anything about. So to bring in an actual text is quite nice for the actors and audience as it transports everyone to an earlier time, much like Chekhov Shorts, in order to understand another culture. So the challenge remains in developing an understanding of global traditions. It also means we can stay in that time but introduce modern elements, as the text itself is an adventure. ‘Steampunk’ is a subgenre we have researched into as a visual design just to mix things up a bit. And it’s nice that there’s a pulse which motivates the company and invites the audience in.
Douglas Maxwell has provided the adaptation exclusively for Lung Ha’s, how did he get involved?
Well it was a two and a half hour play which we had to cut down to an hour and fifteen minutes. So I thought who would be a person that likes adventure, who understands and knows Lung Ha’s? And Douglas has worked with us before, so I contacted him and he was very enthusiastic about it. It’s also important as it empowers the actors, providing confidence in working with other professionals in the industry, as it can be quite easy for Lung Ha’s to be marginalised. It’s a similar privilege in working with the Traverse Theatre as there are so many companies that need a place to perform, so it’s great to have that professional relationship with them.
Around the World in 80 Days showing @
March 31st 7.30pm
April 1st 11am
April 6th 7.30pm
April 7th 2pm and 7.30pm