PAUSE – The Clown Opera opens Sunday 11th October at The Bread and Roses Theatre, being a family-friendly show inviting audiences into this chaotic clown world. Learn more about what you can expect:
1: Where did the original idea for production come from?
Absolute Theatre had done opera (‘Opera Soap’ at the BAC, ‘Islington The Opera’ with the Young Actors Theatre) and clown (‘The 4 Clowns of the Apocalypse’ which performed in Portugal, Spain and the Vauxhall Gardens Community Centre), so a clown opera seemed like the next logical step!
2: Why did you choose cleaners as the characters who enter this operatic world?
The cleaners are the vernacular antithesis of a pompous, deluded opera-loving Maestro.They bring with them, in their buckets,solutions to the personal dilemma that he seems to be facing – and ultimately, the score to the long-lost opera ‘Pause’.
3: How do you create comedy without relying too much on dialogue?
Clown pieces tend to be made through playing together; three performers sparking off each other. As two of the performers are Turkish, the piece was never going to involve any dialogue. That said, there is one aria that visits a variety of different languages, exploring the idea that people often enjoy opera without understanding the words. We also got a lot of help from Turkish clown Tara Demircioğlu and Greek director Eleftherios Parasyris.
4: What was the greatest challenge in developing the production?
We wanted ‘Pause’ to be very portable and adaptable to different performance spaces which restricted what props and scenery it would have, so that was an ongoing challenge. The upside is that everything fits into a large suitcase. We’ve already taken the show to Festival Altitudes in Portugal and we’re aiming to get to Istanbul in the next few months.
5: What are you most excited for audiences to see?
There is a lot of silliness in the piece, but also a little pathos. And the audience is heavily involved, one way and another…
6: What has been the most enjoyable part about creating Pause: The Clown Opera?
You do a lot of laughing when you’re making a clown show. You tend to go home very happy after every rehearsal.
PAUSE – The Clown Opera opens Sunday 11th October at The Bread and Roses Theatre. Many thanks to Simon for answering our questions. Book your tickets here!
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