It’s often challenging to mix art forms for the first time but in The Magic of the Mundane MT Warning manages to get the balance just right.
Seven spoke to co-creator Mikey Bryant about what audiences might see in this production.
You have been quoted as saying you spent a ‘considerable time avoiding creativity’ – how does one avoid creativity?
I do not recommend it, the unfortunate side effect of avoiding creativity is losing oneself, but the worst part is it’s so subtle, there was just this creeping dark over everything when I stopped creating. Some sort of death, not a north coast rebirth/death situation, just a plain old ‘decay of the compost’ kind of death. Surprisingly, it was writing nonsense every morning as a way of reconnecting to life that showed me the integral nature of creating for creating’s sake, and that got me out of that place, and also birthed these albums and this theatre show.
When blending gigs and theatre, is there less or more time for audience interaction and more or less time to be spontaneous?
There’s way more time for the audience to interact with the music than say, a pub show, theatre is designed to draw you in, a gig is more about the company you are with. I’m finding putting this show together that there’s a lot more space to be spontaneous and dangerous (creatively speaking) as all eyes are keenly focused. The beautiful thing about theatre is that the audience doesn’t know what’s meant to be and what’s an accident, I love playing with that idea.
Are you finding yourself gravitating more to the performance/theatre side or more to the singing part?
Gravity is a good analogy here, an invisible but indisputable force! I’d say this ‘theatre show meets gig’ was an inevitable outcome where the theatre/performance is there to enhance the songs and vice versa.
What are you enjoying most about the process?
Creating something out of nothing; trusting that if it moves me, or makes me laugh that it will translate; a deadline to have to perform; the setbacks that become strengths along the way to putting something like this on.
What are you enjoying least?
My mind telling me that this is a terrible idea!
Do you find the ‘mask’ of theatre gives you more opportunity to observe what the audience thinks of your songs?
I’ve always been most comfortable on stage, a place I can hide in plain view. This show is an invitation for the audience to hide with me, right in the place the music comes from and literally as it’s being played – we’ll be doing that together.
What do you hope is the audience take-away from the show?
I hope someone gets home that night and paints a picture or writes a poem or sings a song or dances on the street. I hope the audience is inspired to express their quirks just for the fun of it, and I hope they know that joy can be found even when it seems lost forever.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired when humans come together, whether it’s shoveling mud from neighbours’ houses or chanting passionately at sporting events or singing together at festivals or even obeying road rules to create order in what should be total chaos – when we do things together en masse I find it a most remarkable thing! I’m inspired by looking back on the journey to create this piece, it started by just making the bed each day, then by writing a page of nonsense each day, then by writing a song each day. And now by just rehearsing and singing and trusting each day that this show The Magic Of The Mundane can give hope to others the same way doing these ‘mundane’ tasks has given hope to me.
Tender Hooks – The Magic Of The Mundane. Friday 4 August, 7pm at the Byron Theatre.
