the wedding reception | Interactive Theatre International

Meet the team: UK Tour Manager Caitlin Page

July 13, 2015 by Martina Melli

While we’re counting down the days until the London premiere of ITI’s new interactive show The Wedding Reception it’s the perfect time to catch up with UK Tour Manager and Production Assistant Caitlin Page who has been working on the show since the beginning. We interviewed her ahead of the London premiere and she shared some interesting insights with us.

Hi Caitlin. When did you realise you wanted to work in the arts?
It has always been a part of my background. I guess originally I got into theatre because as a kid I had some speech problems and theatre was a great form of speech therapy. There was a turning moment though, during my first semester at university (I have a BA in Advanced Theatre and Applied Theatre) and I took a module called Applied Theatre Fundamentals which was about the use of theatre in a non-theatrical context – not just for entertainment but more for therapy. That really ignited something in me. After that course I started to look more at post-dramatic, new wave and contemporary work; I was intrigued by forms that push the boundaries and I realised I wanted to be involved.

Why do you like theatre; particularly interactive theatre?
There’s something very cathartic about being able to immerse yourself into a completely new environment away from the external world. Sometimes it’s nice to step away from all of the other stresses in your reality. When a show happens to you, with you and because of you there’s a heightened sense of reality that makes it much more believable, playful and entertaining.

What was the show that has influenced you the most?
I was part of a show in my second year at university called Antigone – the famous Sophoclean play – adapted by Eamon Flack. The show was highly interactive in parts and I found so much joy in engaging the audience. It made me realise how playful theatre can be. Playing is important for all people; it’s a great way to keep in touch with yourself, express ideas and stimulate further thought and development. From when we are children it is the primary way our brains synthesise and learn about the world. The experience of collective playfulness, like in interactive theatre, gives people a great sense of freedom. I think sometimes interactive theatre can be a scary concept to people but the truth is it’s a safe reality, a reality where you share an experience with strangers (who won’t judge you). Especially in Faulty Towers The Dining Experience, people often find themselves sitting at a table with ten people they don’t know but as they start to talk and play they quickly build up a rapport with each other. It is a wonderful way to connect with other people.

Why do you like working at ITI?
I enjoy working in a creative industry with a sense of stability. My role in particular is great because there are so many different tasks that I am able to keep stimulated in diverse ways and always find myself with new challenges all the time. I like that it’s not too repetitive. The team is also very supportive. It’s a very lovely work environment.

What’s been your best moment at ITI?
I really liked the sense of completion that I got when we took The Wedding Reception and put it into rehearsal and then pushed it on stage at Brighton Fringe. That was a really good sense of fulfillment and I was proud to be a part of the production.

You were there at every stage of development for ITI’s new production The Wedding Reception. What was the hardest part?
At the time I was doing two full jobs between tour management and helping the production of the new show. It was great to have a challenge like that. I’d say the hardest part was having to sit on the sidelines while it was in development. Sometimes it would feel like I was invading a secret creative space – I was really close to the whole production but not exactly part of the show itself.

What do you like the most about the show?
I love Auntie Marge: she is absolutely mental and I swear I have an auntie just like her! Also Lynn! She reminds me of my family from Newcastle: the relentless insistence that she has to do something she thinks would benefit you even if you didn’t want it! I also really like the little moments between characters when things sync up: when something has clicked between two people you feel a sense of unity happening in the space. That real sense of connection between the characters pushes you into the story: it becomes more real.

What will people appreciate about this new show?
People will like the singing and the dancing; the show has a great way of energising you. Also the roving that happens – the interactive moments that you have with the single characters – is all very playful. Little by little after every performance the characters will develop more and more and become more multi-dimensional. This show has a lot of potential: the more you layer the characters, the more comedic material the show will have.

What are you excited about that is coming up?
I’m really excited about the new shows coming up in the future with ITI and the possibility of those shows touring across Australia and the UK. I like to watch shows grow as I did with The Wedding Reception and I know they are going to be excellent! I’m also very excited about Edinburgh Fringe: I look forward to seeing how The Wedding Reception will be received there.

After opening to excellent reviews at this year’s Brighton Fringe – ‘Highly recommended’ (FringeReview), ‘Thoroughly good fun’ (BN1 Magazine) – The Wedding Reception will have its London debut at Kingsway Hall Hotel in July and then play at Edinburgh Fringe from 11- 23 August. Here are some of our favourite moments from Brighton Fringe!

Ben’s bike ride – a marathon for charity

July 2, 2015 by Martina Melli

Ben Hood – one of our performers – is currently cycling 600km from London to Amsterdam. And back.

This might sound crazy, but it’s all for a brilliant charity: Venus Blazing Music and Theatre Trust helps children with severe learning difficulties to develop performance and social skills in a creative theatre and music environment.

Ben left London on 30 June, passing through Dover, Calais, Bruges and Antwerp on his way to Amsterdam, returning via Rotterdam… he hopes to return (!) by 7 July. We hope he does too: Ben plays two characters in The Wedding Reception and is scheduled to appear in the show’s 23 and 30 July performances at Kingsway Hall Hotel in London’s Covent Garden.

Ben says: ‘Any donation at all would make a huge difference to the charity. And knowing that a few people are behind me when I’m lost in The Netherlands with raging saddle sores would help spur me on in a huge way!’.

This is the link to donate: it is really quick and simple and you can donate up until 30 July 2015!

Get ready for the largest festival on earth!

June 12, 2015 by Martina Melli

Chaos has descended on Scotland’s capital every August since 1947 with the arrival of the world’s largest arts festival: the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It has grown every year since: organisers reveal that this year there will be 313 venues, a record 3,314 shows (807 of them free), and 49 countries represented.

Kath Mainland, chief executive of the Fringe, said: “The fact we are the largest festival in the world is a fantastic selling point but what’s also good to talk about is what those numbers mean and the diversity and range of work on offer, the different art forms, and the number of different countries represented and what it means for a performer to take part in a festival like this. It’s an incredibly important arts market, a place for the media to discover new talent and also a place to show your work before a live, loyal, risk-taking audience, without having to wait for an invitation. That’s all just as important as all the numbers.”

Ms Mainland added: “The Fringe is a festival like no other. Completely open access – where artists don’t need to wait for an invitation, where anyone with a story to tell is welcome. Where there’s no curator, no vetting, no barriers. Just incredible talent from almost 50 countries all over the world.”

ITI’s first performances at the Fringe of Faulty Towers The Dining Experience were in 2008. The show has returned – and sold out – every year since. This year ITI is taking a second show too: The Wedding Reception. This brand new immersive comedy premiered at Brighton Fringe and won 5* reviews across the board.

See the full 2015 programme online, on the Fringe app, or in print at hundreds of outlets across the UK. Find out where.

Sybil Faulty invites you…

And so do the characters at The Wedding Reception!

Happy birthday to us!

April 24, 2015 by Martina Melli

Faulty Towers The Dining Experience began in Brisbane on 24 April 1997. From humble beginnings it now features nine teams of performers and has just finished a debut performance in Singapore – the 26^th country it has been to.

To celebrate this special day, what better than to talk to Alison Pollard-Mansergh, the woman who is the driving force behind the company and show.

Hi Ali, have you always wanted to run your own business?

APM: No! My intention had simply been to make some acting work for myself. I’d moved to Brisbane, Australia from New Zealand, and when I couldn’t get an agent because of my New Zealand accent, I decided to do something that would keep me going for a few months while I developed an Australian one. I met Andy Foreman, a really talented performer and writer, and along with a third performer, we started working together.

You’ve created this show from nothing and it’s now 18 years old and performed around the world: how have you managed to have raise five children and survive two bouts of cancer at the same time?

APM: I laugh a lot! I’m not a wonder-woman just a really normal person who has had a huge amount of support. My husband has encouraged me from day one. Every single person who has worked in the company has contributed to the success of the show. I could never have done it alone.

Why did you think of doing a Fawlty Towers tribute show, specifically?

APM: I knew it would work, plus I could already do the Sybil laugh!

Did the Dining Experience idea come up at the beginning or did it come up later on?

APM: It was always based around a dinner. Between 1992 and 1996 I worked in a corporate theatre company in New Zealand, and many groups asked for entertainment during their conference dinners. Along with comedy waiters, singing chefs and other themes, Fawlty Towers characters mingling with the guests throughout the evening was a popular choice. This was the basis of the show that we started in 1997.

What are the core values of Interactive theatre International and of FTTDE in particular?

APM: Immersive, site-specific comedy is a passion of mine, so that’s what ITI is built to accommodate – not just for FTTDE but also for other shows we have in production currently. And you can’t get more immersive and site-specific than FTTDE!

Let’s talk about the new show, The Wedding Reception…

APM: I’m really excited about it. It premieres at Brighton Fringe from 1 May and it’s the first time that we’re touring the UK with a brand new show. It’s another immersive experience that people will easily relate to. All cultures are familiar with weddings. It will be fun to adapt TWR as we tour around the world.

You have performed the role of Sybil since the very start. Does she have something in common with you?

APM: For that, you’d better ask my husband but I guess so! As Peter often says to me: ‘Thank you Sybil, can I talk to Ali now?!’ (Laugh) Sometimes I even find myself speaking in an English accent and saying: ‘Oooh, I knooow.’

Why have you decided to stop acting the role of Sybil?

APM: I’ve been walking in Sybil’s shoes since 1992. With nine teams of Faulty Towers performers to manage, and developing new shows, I want to focus now on growing the company. Besides which, Sybil is a physically-demanding role. I will possibly play her again in the future, on special occasions and… at the fanciest venues! (Laugh)

The company has accomplished many things since 1997: 18 years of touring, enthusiastic feedback and reviews, participation in the most important arts festivals in the world. What are the next goals?

APM: The London West End residency was a big one. I set that goal in 2008 when we first appeared in the UK. I gave myself five years to achieve it, and we opened in October 2012. The next milestone was North America, and we’ve just done a very successful showcase in New York as well as a three-month stint at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto; my aim for the US, though, is a spot on Broadway or Madison Square Gardens… I’d like to celebrate the 20^th birthday of the show (2017) by opening our residency on Broadway.

According to each singular personality, how would Basil, Sybil and Manuel celebrate this anniversary?

APM: I think Sybil would celebrate with a really good dinner, some nice wine, and enough friends so that she doesn’t have to sit next to Basil!
Basil would have had no idea that it was a birthday until Sybil reminded him.
Manuel would just be incredibly grateful that he had a job. I imagine that he would be attempting to serve the celebration dinner and spill something over Basil!

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