What was the attraction to create Lé Nør? Where did the idea begin?
We accidentally started making Lé Nør while we were re-developing another one of our shows: ‘Falling Through Clouds’. We started coming up with all this awesome film/theatre crossovers and then realised during the development – hang on, i think this stuff might be a different show. So, we put it in our back pocket and came back to it and developed the idea into what it is now.
We wanted to keep working on the idea because we loved the thought that we could create something that is both a film with beautiful images and a stage show where you can see the games behind the creation of the images.
Did you study any particular films to inspire the work?
I think as artists we are often a little inspired by everything we consume, even if it is how not to do something. There were absolutely films that sparked something, to name a few – ‘Amelie’, ‘Delicatessen’, ‘Call Me By Your Name’, ‘Moonrise Kingdom’, ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’, ‘Love Actually’. Some Tv Series also inspired us – “Glow’, ‘Call My Agent’, ‘The Office’.
Again, it’s not a film but we are ALWAYS inspired by the tv series ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ – which is an absolute masterclass of storytelling and character development.
What are some of your favourite moments? *no spoilers
Look, we do have a scene that in rehearsal we call ‘Bath Orgy’ (which is ‘technically’ not an orgy) which is pretty fun and outrageous. There is a moment I love as well which without spoiling I would call a soaring romantic moment near the end, which makes my heart happy.
How to do manage the process of creating the work? Is it sometimes overwhelming with six key artists working on shows or do you each play a certain part in the development?
We always work pretty collaboratively when creating work, so this process is not outside of our comfort zone particularly. A lot of the ground work for the show was done in development, in which there were four artists working on it, so that gave us a great storyboard to jump off from. Now, in rehearsal we actually have sometimes up to 12 or 13 people in the room; 7 performers, 2 stage managers, 1 Composer/sound designer, 2 creative interns, 1 production manager, occasionally 1 costume designer and 1 associate director.
It is absolutely wonderful to be in rehearsal (we are still developing the show, as we always continue to do) and have so many amazing creative minds in the room, problem solving, being hands on deck and sharing the load. There are times when we fill different roles – sometimes we are all discussing moments or story points, sometimes you get sent off to write the scene you just improvised, sometimes you are translating that scene into Solset, sometimes you are directing the action or creation of a shot because you are the only one not in that scene. It is honestly true teamwork and everyone in the room leaves their blood, sweat and tears on the rehearsal room floor.
What can the audience take away from the work – what feelings do you hope they leave with?
Lé Nør [The Rain] is a love letter to humanity. We want the audience to watch a show that is both joyful and heart wrenching – a story about people coming together as the world around them is falling apart. We hope people leave with a real sense of joy.
