Winds of change
GIVEN its need for large open spaces and powerful gusts of wind, you’d be forgiven for thinking that kite flying was solely an outdoor occupation. But, as Rachael Canning, from Devon-based theatre makers The Wrong Crowd, discovered, that’s not necessarily true.
“I discovered this world of competitive indoor kite-flying which has come about through very light weight materials being more easily available. It’s very popular in countries like America, Taiwan and Japan,” says the co-director and designer.
“Festivals and competitions take place,” interjects colleague and co-director Hannah Mulder. “You can find great examples on YouTube of people flying indoor kites in sports halls accompanied by power ballads. It’s quite a phenomenon.”
It was that phenomenon, coupled with Rachel’s work using puppets and kites for a dance version of Kes at Sheffield Crucible, along with such magic stories as The Snowman, that inspired The Wrong Crowd’s latest production – Kite.
Created for ages seven-plus, the story finds a young orphan girl packing a few belongings and keepsakes (including a kite) and relocating.
Says Rachael: “The child has recently lost her mother and has to live with her grandmother. So they’re forced into a situation where they are living together during a really difficult time.
“We wanted to explore the difficulty of grief and how it can impact people in different ways.”
She continues: “There’s something quite solemn and transcendent, as well as joyous, about watching kites flying. There’s a fragility to them. Grief somehow felt like a natural theme to accompany that.”
The story of the relationship between the girl and her grandmother is explored without the use of dialogue.
Says Hannah: “They’re both struggling to communicate with each other. So we evolved an idea that there would be no words in the show, partly as a creative challenge to ourselves but also because it reflects how they’re feeling. They literally don’t know what to say.”
Rather than speech, The Wrong Crowd use music, dance, puppetry and, of course, kites, to tell their tale. ●●KITE is at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, on Monday and Tuesday next week, with performances at 2.30pm and 7pm. Tickets £12 (£10). For more information, see www. warwickartscentre.co.uk