SUSU Theatre Group take to the stage in The Murray Building this Thursday with Leonard Gershe’s Butterflies Are Free. The play follows a Manhattan blind man and his relationship with a free-spirited hippie whilst his controlling mother’s overprotective instincts go into overdrive with both hilarious and touching results.
I managed to catch up with Director Anna Williams and asked her a few questions about this upcoming performance.
How would you describe your show in a sentence and why should people come and see it?
The show is set in 1960’s New York and explores the different relationship dynamics between romantic partners and family members in funny and moving ways. People should come and see it because the characters and situations are easy to relate to, it will make you laugh, and maybe even cry!
How have you dealt with the challenge in performing in a non-theatrical space?
“Performing in a non-theatrical space has brought its own challenges, namely the fact that we have to move the set in and out of the space every night! However, it’s the perfect space for this show, as it’s very intimate. The four actors manage to make you feel as though you’re in the apartment with them, and it’s a very different experience to watching anything in traditional venues.”
How have you approached playing ‘older’ characters?
“The oldest character in this show is mid 50’s, and we’ve relied a lot on characterisation, as well as costume, to embody the age of the character. We’ve used Sandford Meisner’s techniques of characterisation and rehearsal to create very natural and believable characters and dialogues. We’ve worked a lot on the physicality of characters to depict their ages and other character traits as well.”
Butterflies Are Free will be performed at the Murray Building at 7.30pm from the 19th – 21st February. Student tickets are £5 and can either be bought on the door or reserved here.
