Blog
5 Minutes with Damon Lockwood
As Improvilicious 2.0 heads to metro and regional schools from this week, we catch up with one half of the dynamic duo; Damon Lockwood.
How did you get involved in the performing arts? When did you first set foot on the stage?
After finishing a maths degree at Murdoch University I had an epiphany one night and decided to pursue the career I had always dreamed about. I think the first semi-professional gig I performed in was a strange South African play called The Oriki of the Grasshopper.
What attracts you to improvised theatre and comedy?
Improvised theatre sets you dramatically and unconditionally IN THE MOMENT. It cannot succeed if you are not. Plus the most hilarious thing in the world is serious life.
The history of theatre - what's your favourite part to explore?
Great question. The writings of Samuel Beckett I find to be brilliant. Piercingly insightful and painfully comedic, he is a writer whose gifts and secrets continue to be revealed.
What's the secret to the chemistry between Sam Longley and yourself? How long have you worked together for?
Sam and I have worked very closely together for ten years now. I think it is a relationship built on trust and respect. To perform a two-person improvisation show means you need the utmost trust in your partner…though we have been working together so long now it's almost as if we're actively trying to screw each other up on stage…
How long have you been involved with Barking Gecko? What were the highlights?
I believe I have also been involved with Barking Gecko for ten years now. My two scripts Pri-mates and Gogo Fish - The Fossil That Changed the World I am very proud of. Pri-mates was awarded The Play of the Month by The Australian Script Centre in 2007.
Where will we find you after Improvilicious 2.0?
Assistant directing Tim Winton's new play Signs of Life for Black Swan State Theatre Centre. And looking after my beautiful family.
Is there something we don't know about you that we really should?
I have blown up two cars and left them for dead on the Nullarbor plain…do you really need to know that? I'm so broke I can't afford a new pair of shoes…um…I don't like praying mantis'… …yeah, that's probably enough.
5 minutes with Craig Silvey, Ambassador
West Australian Author, Craig Silvey, joins us this year as Barking Gecko Ambassador. A recent honoree of the Printz award for Jasper Jones, Craig has received much attention for his work both in Australia and overseas. We are excited to have him as part of the team.
What is your earliest experience of the performing arts?
Unfortunately, my earliest dalliance with the performing arts followed the realisation at the age of seven that theatre was a one way ticket to garnering attention. Naturally, my means of expression came in the form of expressive monologues that I would tour around the classrooms at my primary school. Fortunately the staff were impossibly tolerant, and they patiently permitted me to perform whatever ridiculous show I’d dreamed up and take my bow amid scattered applause and muted coughing. Yes, I was that kid. These days I leave theatre to the thespians.
How has your involvement in the arts influenced you growing up? And into adulthood?
It’s been everything for me. It’s how I learn, it’s how I express myself, it’s how I address my private concerns and also how I connect with people. Ever since I can remember, art has amplified my emotions, expressed the ineffable, and taught me so much about being human. I couldn’t be without it.
Why the Ambassador of Barking Gecko Theatre Company?
Because theatre is profoundly special. There is something undeniably unique in experiencing a story as it is happening. When the curtains and the stage dissolve and you absorb the narrative with a kind of vicarious intimacy. You feel connected, which is what good art does best. It’s a really beautiful, rare sensation. And I think it is so important that kids learn the urge to share stories like this, which is why barking gecko is such a vital insitution.
What are you currently working on?
I’m banging my head against my third novel, which is set in a carnival in the twenties. You can expect orphans, an elephant, boxing, Wowsers, and more than enough cabaret.
What would we be surprised to know about you? Any hidden talents etc?
Since the age of twelve I have cut my own hair. also, I am an extremely formidable ping pong opponent.
For more information on Craig Silvey visit his website.
5 Minutes with Sam Longley
Sam Longley has been an important part of Barking Gecko Theatre Company for over 15 years. Sam stars at Richie the Power Beagle in Craig Silvey’s The Amber Amulet.
Have you had any jobs apart from being an actor?
When I was starting out, between paid gigs I was a bartender. I bartended around the world including New York, Greek Islands, London and Perth for about 10 years. I think being an actor helps as it’s social, fun and entertaining. It isn’t hard to pour a drink but it is hard to interact with clients. It’s called the hospitality industry because you are supposed to be hospitable.
Any favourite Barking Gecko Memories?
There are so many great memories and shows. My first show was Frog Opera in 1996. This was my first professional gig as well as my first show for Barking Gecko. It was a great show not only because it was set in a swimming pool and we got to do underwater tricks and flips, but also because we got to tour the show to Canada, the US and Singapore.
Currently, working with Craig Silvey is at the top of my list because I think he is a fantastic writer so it’s an honour to be working with something he has written.
What’s it like playing a dog in Craig Silvey’s The Amber Amulet?
I really like playing a dog because dogs to me are pure – they play every emotion 100%. There is no subtext with dogs. Not like cats that are all subtext.
Do you have a dog at home?
No I am allergic to dogs and cats, sheep and horses. If a dog licks me I can come up in large welts!
Is the poo real in the show?
The poo is not real. We’ve gone through a number of prototypes for the show starting from a food-based version using flour, oats, peanuts and cocoa. It smelt like a chocolate cake and looked like poo. The problem was that it crumbled in the end. We now have a poo made of wood putty which is working perfectly.
Have you enjoyed working with Artistic Director John Sheedy?
John’s a cracker. What I like about working with John is that he came in with a very strong idea of what he wanted but he was not close-minded. He listened to everything you had to say and gave it the weight it deserved. I think this is the way it needs to be with all art forms. It needs to be collaborative. You are really a part of the whole show that way.
5 Minutes with Maggie Kennedy
Maggie is our much loved 'Good Morning Maggie'. Maggie brings her passion for children’s stories, drama and art to little listeners at Karrinyup Shopping Centre every Wednesday.
Why is storytelling important?
Storytelling has been a way to teach and entertain through funny, sad, strange and adventurous tales way before the written word existed. It enables a passing on of knowledge of the human condition and of dealing with things, to the next generation. I relish telling the traditional stories like "The Boy who cried Wolf" and "the Three Little Pigs". Entertaining picture story books with situations and dilemmas children face in our society by our Australian writers and illustrators are tops and serve the same purpose.
What's your favourite story to read aloud?
My favourite stories to read aloud to pre-school children are by Pamela Allen. She is the Russell Crowe of children's literature - a Kiwi born Aussie! One of her books, The Bear's Lunch is full of drama. A picnic is interrupted with the scary roaring of a predatory bear. The children bravely face danger and find they can bluff the bear to save themselves. If a child remembered this story if they were ever bullied it could be helpful.
I love to read Feathers for Phoebe by Rod Clement because it calls for me to produce distinctive voices for Zelda, who thinks she is chic and posh, for the timid Phoebe, and for the amorous male bird who Phoebe falls (literally) for. It's a book about self acceptance.
Another favourite is Kip by Christine Booth. I encourage the children to crow with rooster Kip as I read and it's lots of fun. The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky gives me the pleasure of using a variety of animal voices. The children anticipate and join in saying "the terrible plop!" with me. It's a book about conquering the fear of fear.
I don't dwell on the moral of the story or the lessons to be leaned from the stories. Through fun and involvement a child can feel empathy and soak up the message in the process.
Your life before Good Morning Maggie
Before "Good Morning Maggie", some of my occupations have been Bank Officer, clerk at Sotheby's in London, typist/receptionist at a US Army Base hospital in Munich, Outback 4x4 Adventure Tour operator and cook, language teacher for the Adult Multicultural Education Service.
Something I never envisaged was conducting the workshop with young children for Barking Gecko! Major parts of my life could be seen as preparation for just that. GMM has three segments - a drama exercise, reading a story, and an art activity (all worked around the theme of the week's story) and it enables me to use many of the disciplines I've practiced over the years. I've been actively involved in theatre since I was a teenager (eons ago!). I majored in Drama at Deakin Uni, was a primary school teacher for 14 years, did a graduate diploma in Art Education and became an Art teacher. Being a mum and a grandma helps heaps too.
As country-town kind of people my husband and I choose to live among the trees in Roleystone. My interests are; my garden of mainly WA natives and some drought hardy exotics and also my organic vegetable garden; taking long walks each day with our labradoodle, Edsel; painting and drawing most days. I'm a vegetarian who is passionate about animal welfare (stop all exports of live animals!), upholding the international rights of refugees, and the preservation of the natural environment, especially in WA.
How is storytelling important to the arts?
Storytelling opens a path to the arts. It starts from safe exposure to experiences, ideas and characters, and leads to the opportunity to understand, accept and explore feelings and to have a go at all forms of self-expression. Stories are full of drama. They expand the mind. Sharing stories with children creates a link between language and drama. In role-play we internalise understanding. Children gain the ability to model language from good literature.
Favourite moments from Good Morning Maggie sessions this year
My favourite moments during "Good Morning Maggie" are simply observing the looks on the children's faces on the occasions when they are deeply involved in role-play, totally absorbed in a story or eagerly working on their art activity. Then I know it's all so worthwhile.
Join Good Morning Maggie at Karrinyup Shopping Centre on Wednesday mornings during school term. Suitable for Under 5's and their grown ups!