Читать книгу Flies - Oliver Lansley - Страница 7

Flies was an interesting proposition for me. The director Emma, with whom I’ve collaborated many times, came to me with a title ‘Flies’, a character name, Dennis, and dates for a proposed run of this show that didn’t even exist yet!

It’s an interesting way to start on a project but Emma knows I am always intrigued by a challenge and when she said she wanted to create something that was a cross between Metamorphosis and Jaws I was hooked!

It’s hard to say much about the piece itself as I don’t think it’s the sort of play that benefits from the reader being given too much information. It’s a play to be explored rather than explained.

What I did know was that I wanted to replicate the fractured, disjointed workings of Dennis’ brain in telling his story. Creating literally a ‘web’ of information that all somehow spirals around a centre point (the fly in the middle of that web).

It jumps around in time and space and reality and is in many senses a stream of consciousness. This was very much reflected in the way that I wanted to write it. Allowing information to pour out randomly, some obviously relevant, some more obscure, like fragments torn out at random from a well-worn diary.

As for the fly, the very first words that I wrote for the whole play were – ‘I took a shit on your food’ – this seemed to set out quite a clear path to me as to who this character was!

What is real, what is not and how do we know the difference? Flies is an odd little play, but then Dennis is an odd little man…

Flies by Oliver Lansley was first performed on 4th October 2011 at the Tobacco Factory’s Brewery Theatre, Bristol.

Produced by Pins and Needles Productions.

Original cast:

DENNIS, Oliver Hollis

THE FLY and other roles, Paul Mundell

Live music performed by Kid Carpet

Written by Oliver Lansley

Director, Emma Earle

Design, Zoe Squire

Lighting Design, Anna Barrett

Composer, Kid Carpet

Animator, Becca Rose

Costume Supervisor, Bianca Ward

Assistant Producer, Lee Rayner

Stage Manager, Katie Barrett

Artwork created by Zoe Squire

Pins and Needles Productions is committed to creating inspiring visual theatre that unites both physical and text based work. We are interested in telling highly theatrical stories for young and old, and enjoy making work that encourages the audience to take an imaginative leap. The company was established in 2009 by Director/Designer partnership Emma Earle and Zoe Squire. www.pinsandneedlesproductions.co.uk

This production was supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Flies was inspired by an original concept by Toby Farrow and developed in association with Bristol Ferment at Bristol Old Vic.

With special thanks to the Earles, the Squires and everyone else who helped to make this production happen.