HOTHOUSE Theatre’s company-in-residence, The Last Great Hunt, is unapologetic about tackling heavy subject matter.
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The second in the series of three shows it is performing at the Butter Factory Theatre, It’s Dark Outside, is no exception.
At its heart a tale of adventure, It’s Dark Outside is the story of an elderly man, clutching to his dearest memories, embarking on a journey into the wild in the dead of night.
The man is swept away on a surreal Western adventure, eluding a mysterious masked figure looking to track him down.
Exploring the condition of dementia, it is easy to assume the show is dark, and sad – but the show’s creators Tim Watts, Arielle Gray and Chris Isaacs point out, there is still fun and joy to be found within the show.
“While for some people it can really be about dementia, and old age, and death, we really do like to think of the show as quite a joyful one,” Mr Watts said.
“It’s filled with elements of puppetry and animation.”
Ms Gray said it was about adventure.
“At its core it’s really about kind of a final adventure that this man goes on,” she said.
“It has that sense of adventure and journey – it’s not just just examining the issue through reality.
“When we create work we often start with images or feed ideas and work from there, and It’s Dark Outside had a really long trajectory.
“When we started creating the show it was about the wildness in people, that’s why there’s elements of the wild west in there, a western style to the music.
“We were inspired by western films, showdowns and thing like that, that’s where the show started and the characters and issues we’re looking at emerged from those themes.”
One of the most unique elements in It’s Dark Outside is the usage of the stage, taking advantage of mediums such as animation to help the audience find a sense of place, and encourage them to think creatively about the show, as opposed to more intellectually.
“We really try and use elements that are inherently fun and require a lot of imaginative engagement from our audience,” Mr Watts said.
“I like to think in our shows, it’s a bit more of an emotional experience because things like puppets and animation are things you have to engage with quite imaginatively, it cuts off the part of your brain that might try to over-intellectualise what is going on.
“I like to think it creates more of an emotional experience.”