YOUR EVENTS
Introducing the Theatre for One residents at The Boo this summer: Simone Lewis, Hanna Habermann, Nikky Norton Shafau, Taylor Barnes and Helen Ainsworth. Hometown: There are five of us from around the UK; Leeds, London, Bristol and Manchester, all with varying cultural backgrounds. Simone is originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Hanna is from Frankfurt, Germany while Helen spends half of the year living in Portugal. An international group if ever there was one! Job: Helen and Simone currently work as freelance performers and puppeteers, but the group also includes differing professions: Hanna works as a puppet-maker at Aardman, while Nikky is a storyteller and Taylor is a physical theatre performer. Which theatre company are you involved with?: We are all working at Horse and Bamboo under the mentorship of internationally-acclaimed puppet company Lempen Theatre. Are you taking part in any productions at the moment?: We will all be performing our Theatre for One productions at Horse and Bamboo’s annual puppetry festival this year on July 14-16. What do you do there?: Theatre for One originated in Chile many moons ago and is quite literally a theatre performance for one audience member at a time. During the festival audiences will have the opportunity to watch a mini puppetry performance that will last no more than three minutes at a time. How long have you been with Horse and Bamboo theatre: We started our residency a week ago, and now we are at the start of the second week of a three week process. What do you like/dislike about the character you are currently playing?: Each day brings its own challenges as well as its own surprises! Spending an entire day building one wooden box can be somewhat frustrating, but seeing someone else’s ideas being realised can inspire you to move forward with another aspect of your piece. Dipping your fingers into a bowl of PVA mixed with water and wall paper glue is strangely delightful! What do you most enjoy?: It’s wonderful to feed off other people’s ideas and energy; The Boo itself is a joyous environment to work in. Have you been in any other productions?: We have all worked on other productions from Aardman animations to UK theatre tours; all with a common interest in making high quality work for all ages. Nikky, for one, works as a storyteller in garden centres across the UK bringing their secret garden spaces to life! Who is your favourite actor and why?: For us we are always inspired by the work of other theatre companies, puppet makers, artists, writers – all creatives across the globe – rather than specific actors. Some of the work we enjoy include Green Ginger (Bristol), Pickled Image (Bristol), Touched Theatre (Brighton), and Rezo Gabriadze (Georgia). If you could play any part what would it be and why?: I can’t say there is one specific role or company I would want to work. It would be amazing working on an ensemble puppetry piece, touring internationally, but equally we would all like to develop our own work and take it further. Are you involved in any other projects at the moment?: We all have many projects going at the same time – such is the nature of the business! What do you most enjoy about doing this?: Playing! Any memorable/funny moments or highlights from this?: Each day brings another memorable and funny moment, difficult to put into words; like trying to describe a dream. The group will all be performing their Theatre for One productions at Horse and Bamboo’s annual puppetry festival this year on July 14-16.