“A girl walks. She walks alone night. When she ran, the world watched. What big eyes they have.
Our Daughters run with wolves, and we throw them to the dogs.”
The House That Dan Built is an extraordinary company. Its core principals of Excellence, Creativity/Experimentation, Education/Training and access/opportunity are not just words, they shine through in what takes place in the performance space for the production Tender Young Creatures.
Tender Young Creatures is a devised work from a group of 16 young women aged between 13 and 20 (most are mid teens). First devised in 2016, it is in its third development stage. Inspired by the classic tale, Little Red Riding Hood, this immersive experience takes the audience into the dark world of the modern Little Red Riding Hoods growing up in life’s maze of emotions, desires, influences and dangers. Where the pure joy of exploration and celebration is balanced with the dangers of the night and the limitations of freedom for the the necessities of safety. We follow a line of girls dress in white with short red hooded capes into the dark performance space. With images projected on the walls the performers stood, crouched, weaved, whispered and completely engaged in the ever evolving space that we all shared. We stood in the room, sat on a box or wandered as the performance weaved around us. Dialogue was whispered or chanted but mostly delivered in beautiful multi-harmonied music. The girls’ beautiful voices were haunting at times in this dimly lit art gallery space. The journey took us from the celebration of freedom to the dangers of the night. The red capes are turned to white capes as the hunted become the hunters. Our journey is devided into nine stages ( Mother’s Advice, Pathways, All is Mine, Flowers, Wolf, Grandma, Shivers, Run , Ornamentation and One).
Performance were confident and commanding. It is daunting for most actors to engage directly with an audience from the stage. To wander throughout the audience and engage in one-on-one delivery of lines eye-to-eye or to stand on a box and begin to sing a solo to those around you, commands an even stronger conviction. On opening night the audience was filled with friends of the same age, parents/adult friends as well as people they had never met, each of us a very different challenge to a performer. These young performers met each interaction with strength and conviction. Added to these performance skills was a beautiful awareness of the space. Weaving between the standing, sitting and strolling audience, the performers owned the space. This is a wonderful performance skill to have. Combine it with singing in harmony and holding acting intentions and you have skills not often held by many actors with years of performance behind them. Special mention to Iris Simpson who wrote and performed ‘Red’s’ monologue within this production – “Aye, we see blood… and if you do not stop your feeble protests, it will be yours” – a standout moment.
Natalie Richards & Danielle O’Keefe, the creatives behind this company and production, should be commended for the skills they have imparted to these young performers. Their goal is “to create art with young women that will have a lasting impact not only on the girls who participate but society at large”. Also to be commended is Mel Liertz the costume designer. The Red Riding Hood costumes have an eerie resemblance to The Handmaid’s Tale which is fascinating as they were designed before the TV series. This production had its origins in 2016 well before the #metoo campaign (and A Handmaid’s Tale) yet it resonates with these themes. Also wonderful work from visual artist Carla Zimbler.
It is important to note that the girls wrote all the lyrics to the show, and many of the melodies. One of the many things that inspired me with this production is that within the evening the fear of the hunted was faced, explored and confronted. As you leave, the overwhelming feeling that remained, was defiance. This is one group of young women who, like Little Red Riding Hood, will not back down and will, most definitely, make their mark.
Lynden Jones – Theatre Now
Tender Young Creatures
a live theatre installation centered around the theme of young women walking at night. Inspired by the classic tale of Red Riding Hood, the performance is a contemporary look at the wolf which lives inside us.
19 – 29 April 2018
Wed – Sat 7pm
Sun 4pm
Venue: Bondi Pavilion Gallery
Theatre Company: The House That Dan Built
Duration: N/A
