Duo reveal Two In A Barrel's message for the future and the world may travel far!
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Ruxandra Cantir and Sarah Rose Graber, the cast of Two In A Barrel – the show for five-to-seven-year-olds currently touring the North and beyond, have answered some of the burning questions you might have if you have seen the show, are going to see the show – or have just seen the pictures somewhere of two colourful characters sitting inside a big barrel! Here is their QnA ...
Q I think from reading the info that this show Two In A Barrel is specifically for five-to-seven-year-olds. What was so important about that age that you wanted to target the drama at them?
A Two In A Barrel: We wanted to create a fun show for young audiences that brings to the forefront the problem of waste, consumerism, and sharing resources and space with people around us. And this is because the younger generations will, unfortunately, be the ones dealing with it once we’re gone. They will bear the brunt of these problems. We’re already seeing those effects now. We believe strongly in supporting the new generations to become active, activist and aware in their world. So we welcome young audiences of every age and their families to our show. That said, we think five to seven-year-olds would enjoy this show the most, solely because of the playing style and the naivete of the characters – Riri and Moku are impulsive and competitive, but they also love having fun and eating candy bars.
Q Where did the idea come from to have the physical limit of two people in a barrel coexisting?
A Two In A Barrel: We often say in physical comedy that proximity creates comedy. Put two clowns in a tiny space and funny things will happen. And as theatre devisers, we know that restrictions of any kind are good, because it gives characters something to play off of and creates conflict. We’re fans of Samuel Beckett, as well, and often we’ve said of this show that it is “Beckett meets Pixar”. All of those things likely influenced us and created this initial image we had in our imaginations of two sillies in a barrel on top of a rubbish heap. And once we started playing with the idea – it proved very fun and very fruitful, not to mention that it supported our environmental aspirations for the show’s narrative.
Q Was it difficult getting the barrel just right ie strong enough not to split apart under duress but not too restricting for your performance?
A Two In A Barrel: Our wonderful set designer Fergus Dunnet did a great job with our barrel. It’s made out of corrugated plastic he recycled from previous projects. Believe it or not, the barrel we have now is the original one we worked with when we first originated the idea four years ago. We found that the material it’s made of is perfect for our needs – it’s solid enough to hold shape and we can put a bit of weight on it. We’ve added reinforcements over the years and we find that it’s working well and within our environmental remit.
Creatively, we enjoyed having this restriction and found that working in a barrel like that offered us wonderful comedic opportunities: entrances, exits, getting tangled up between the two of us. We tell a big story in a tiny space, part of which is tied directly to the restrictive nature of living in such close quarters with someone else – it’s fun and delightful and it can be difficult, as well.
Q The idea for the show seems very clever, first the fun of being together and 'mining' the rubbish for its treasures and fun. But then the challenges that very much represent our reality that rubbish is challenging (resources like food limited) and in such huge volume is a bit scary?
A Two In A Barrel: Yes, that’s exactly right. It is great to have fun with your best pal in a barrel surrounded by treasures, but it’s also very scary when that rubbish keeps growing and threatens to cover you altogether. Unfortunately we are right there in our world as well. We don’t see this as much in the Western world, but the problems of waste and consumerism are very real. It was important to us that we told this story in this way for the young generations who will bear the brunt of this catastrophe. What are they left with? Our legacy to our kids is not great at all. So we wanted to bring this up in a way that we know, as physical theatre makers and performers – with a fun show, utilising clown techniques, that makes audiences invested and hints at the danger that comes with ignoring this problem. Our aim, really, is to get conversations going – and we really hope that this show serves as a starting point for conversations between kids and their adults about our world, waste and our relationship to them.
Q How do you come up with a story where that part is not just TOO scary for youngsters (and I suppose it is for adults who understand more of the implications of your story!)?
A Two In A Barrel: Kids are smart and we can’t sugar coat something that is clearly a problem. So while we don’t shy away from the real danger, we rely on the clever use of comedy and the sincerity of the characters to make that danger something that is theatrical and exciting instead of being too scary. That’s one of the magical things about theatre is that we can watch characters experience situations and try to find solutions to problems we might relate to.
Q What has been you biggest challenge to do with your confinement in the barrel during the tour?!
A Two In A Barrel: We always joke that there is the version of the show that the audience sees and then there’s the very different version inside the barrel that we see! This is the most technically complex show we’ve ever created. We literally have to climb on top of each other, sneak between the other person’s legs, we’ve both been accidentally kicked or elbowed at some point in the process, and have moments of being stuck in each other’s armpits! It’s highly choreographed and it has to move like clockwork. We’re both great friends in real life and as collaborators, so we have a lot of trust in each other. This has meant that we can meet the challenges with laughter when working in such close proximity… and with deodorant. We wear lots and lots of deodorant.
Q This seems to be a performance with such a universal message – can you take it all over the world, maybe you already have! Are you planning to take it more widely – or maybe licence it or something to other performers?
A Two In A Barrel: We’re incredibly passionate about this kind of work and are having a blast sharing it with audiences. Since the production is primarily non-verbal and utilises physical and visual storytelling, it’s a show that would work in any part of the world including non-English speaking countries. We’re planning to continue touring the show throughout the UK and beyond and at the moment are chatting with some folks about a tour to the US in 2024. As for making the script available for others to perform, we’re currently enjoying the wonderful audience responses as makers and performers. But it would be incredibly exciting to see other companies perform the piece or put different performers into the roles and would love to see the work evolve and grow in this way over time.
North dates: Wednesday, May 10: Eden Court, Inverness. Tickets ; May 13: Dunbeath Heritage Museum, Dunbeath. Tickets : May 14: Reay Village Hall, Thurso. Tickets
