Expect the unexpected
Adapted for the stage by Gregory Aitken and directed by Kate Horsley, The Chronicles of Eldershaw is the story of Helen, a 1950s Tasmanian feminist. Helen possesses a certain grandeur. Both sexes are attracted to her. A wife and a mother, she is in touch with something greater than herself. Helen is also a bit of a drama queen – and don’t we all love a bit of drama?
Seven caught up with Kate Horsley last week to find out about the latest offering from the Drill Hall Theatre.
The Chronicles of Eldershaw is breaking new ground for the Drill Hall Theatre Company. What can the audience expect?
The unexpected. The production is such a blend of different theatrical styles that there is something for everyone.
The Chronicles of Eldershaw was adapted by the Drill Hall’s Gregory Aitken. How closely did he collaborate with Stephen Edgar (the author)?
Greg Aitken saw the dramatic possibilities for Eldershaw back in 2014. Stephen encouraged Greg to explore the novel’s dramatic possibilities. Over the past year Edgar has edited, or made suggestions to, at least a dozen drafts of the play.
What are some of the challenges, as a director, in staging such an unusual, non-naturalistic production?
The biggest challenge has been honouring and staying true to the text while still trying to create something theatrically interesting. Also, staying confident as a director and instilling confidence in the actors to stick with something and develop it, when initially it doesn’t always feel comfortable. Luckily all the actors have risen to the challenge – I am so proud of them.
What attracted you to directing this work.
I trained at The University of London (Goldsmiths College) gaining a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and English Literature and a Master of Arts in Theatre Arts. I performed repertory theatre in the UK, predominantly Shakespeare – a lover of all things ‘bard’. What drew me to directing this piece was the sublime poetry, it just stays with you long after the words are spoken.
The language of Eldershaw is poetic and moves through time zones. Did this provide challenges for you, and the cast, in telling the story?
Most definitely. We did a moved reading as a creative development in February this year and played it moving backwards and forwards, in and out of time zones. It just didn’t work. So now we are telling the story chronologically. The use of multimedia projections on the back wall helps the flow of the moving time zones of the story.
Helen is a woman of the 1940s through to the 1960s. How does she resonate with modern audiences, particularly women?
Helen actively goes against the grain of traditional values. She is unafraid and unapologetic in exploring her sexual yearnings in a time when such inclinations were frowned upon. She rages against domesticity despite the impact this has on her life.
The nature of the play splits the character of Helen into a younger and older version. Was this tricky to juggle?
No, not at all. The splitting of the character Helen works two-fold. Firstly, the sheer volume of lines Helen’s character has, would put too much strain on one actor. Secondly, we get to see Helen in two different physical stages of her life. That said, Linda and Avia (the actors) work so incredibly synchronised at times it often feels like there is only one Helen.
The Drill Hall Theatre recently redesigned the performance space, removing the stage. How has this affected the experience for players and audience?
At first daunting. What! No proscenium arch? It seemed like such a big space to fill, but fill it we have, with minimal set and incredible performances. It now feels like we are hanging out in our big, but comfy, living room.
This a multimedia production, incorporating music and imagery, historical and fictional. Tell us about this.
It was a lot of hard work creating this multimedia production – it has also brought so much joy. It is so powerful to see historical and fictional images sit side-by-side and I think it really helps the audience follow the flow of the show.
The Chronicles of Eldershaw plays from Wednesday, October 9 until Sunday, October 20 at the Drill Hall Theatre in Mullumbimby.
For tickets and more information, visit drillhalltheatre.org.au.
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