Dunedin-based actor Sarah Entwistle and her niece, Auckland-based director Kate Low, have spent months working together to devise their play You Won’t See Me on the Poster.
The play will be staged from tonight until Saturday at the New Athenaeum Theatre, in the Octagon.
The one-hour solo play, performed by Entwistle, re-imagines Shakespeare’s works to bring the so-called "minor" characters to life.
Audiences will see what the star-crossed lovers looked like from the Nurse’s point of view in Romeo and Juliet; muse over the wonders of life and death with the two gravediggers in Hamlet; explore what happens when Feste the clown lets go of his smile in Twelfth Night; and meet the drunken porter in Macbeth.
Drawing on the philosophy of Sonder, which states that everyone has their own vivid and meaningful internal life, You Won’t See Me on the Poster aims to draw the audience into characters that are often simple plot devices and expand them into a whole person.
"We believe the description of ‘minor character’ is a misnomer — everyone is the hero in their own story," Low said.
"It has been fun to add these extra elements to the characters’ lives."
Performing the show marks a return to the stage for Entwistle, who has worked for a voice and performance specialist in Dunedin for more than 35 years in settings as diverse and corporate, university, schools and community groups.
The show also marks a directing debut for Low, a multi-disciplinary creative who trained at the Atlantic Acting School in New York and has appeared in productions there and in New Zealand.
The pair’s creative journey began years ago as a teacher–student relationship in speech and drama lessons, and has evolved into a full partnership.
"It has been wonderful to work closely with Kate on this show, and to experience her incredible knowledge," Entwistle said.
"The whole process has been energising and fun."
Low and Entwistle both have a long-standing love of Shakespeare, so getting chance to take a new approach to some of the characters has been a joy.
"In his plays, Shakespeare created real people, relationships, families and power struggles — so it is exciting to be able to expand on that," Low said.
As an added bonus another niece of Entwistle, United States-based Hope Wright, is assisting with marketing the show and creating stop-motion videos.
Having performed at the New Athenaeum Theatre (NAT) before, Low is delighted to be returning there for You Won’t See Me on the Poster.
"The NAT is a great space to work in, and Ellie Swann and the team are awesome to work with," she said.
"Plus, it’s perfectly placed for a night out in town."
Low and Entwistle gratefully acknowledge the support of Creative New Zealand funding through the Creative Communities Scheme.
You Won’t See Me on the Poster will be staged at the New Athenaeum Theatre, 23 The Octagon at 7.30pm tonight and Friday, and at 2pm and 7.30pm on Saturday. Tickets via newathenaeumtheatre.com
