Stage set for cinematic magic

IN RECENT YEARS, I’ve watched with interest the attempts to create cinematic effects in theatre here in Thailand. Usually this involves the use of high-resolution projectors to show images on the screen but inevitably ends up in a battle with the stage lights. The most recent attempt was asking the audience to put on 3D glasses to watch a few scenes. The problem with both these approaches is that these video images neither interact with the humans onstage nor are dramatically relevant. 

My vision has been broadened recently by two British works at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Tbilisi International Festival of Theatre.

“The Zero Hour” by Leeds-based company Imitating the Dog tells an engaging story of the last days of World War II in Berlin. The stage actions performed against a background of pre-recorded animation graphics are filmed live by a crew of Chinese cameramen and projected onto the screen downstage that is split into sections. Not only does this create a unique stage picture, or a film with live actors, but the use of cinema also serves a dramaturgical reason. It self-questions the truth of the story and reminds us that those “slices of life” we witness on the screen, which is always larger than us, are always accompanied by those the film crew do not select for us to see.

Another company, 1927, created “The Animals and Children Took to the Street” in 2011. It was selected for the British Council’s “Edinburgh Showcase” that same August where an international cohort of producers, presenters and artistic directors enjoyed it so much that they booked it for their respective festivals and venues. The most popular British theatre event in recent memory, this happy marriage of animation, music and storytelling is still drawing standing ovations worldwide, including in the capital of Georgia where I spent time recently. 

The overall experience reminded me of how we enjoy some animation films so much that we put ourselves in them while remaining aware that it’s a different kind of reality. The animation film fits this fantastical story set in a poor suburb in Louisiana and takes the dramatic actions to various locations effortlessly. The film never brags about its tricks but always connects with humans. In this case, the humans are three skilled actresses who so credibly portray various parts and whose timing is so faultless that it’s often hard to believe that there are only three of them. And this is obviously part of the reason why this medium-scale production can tour farther and faster and thus delight more audiences than a theatre production with a large cast. 

It’s also noteworthy that the members of the creative team behind this astounding work are from different artistic backgrounds. They know well how different art forms can support one another in a composite art known as theatre and the performance never looks like, or never shows that it wants to be, a 3D film, but a play which has been made truly magical by the deft use of film.

A delightful rumour is that the Bangkok office of the British Council is checking the possibility of bringing “The Animals and Children Took to the Street” here. Should that prove true, the event will draw not only the local fans of the two art forms but also the artists in these two fields who may want to collaborate more than they have been.

 

 

The writer’s trips were supported by The British Council and the Tbilisi International Festival of Theatre.

On the Web:www.ImitatingTheDog.co.uk, www.19-27.co.uk