Syndicated Interview with Director Josie Lena Davies: Great Adventures – The Three Little Pigs
12 May 2023 | Press Release
We caught up with our Community & Learning Associate Director Josie Lena Davies to talk about their version of The Three Little Pigs (Saturday 27 & Tuesday 30 May), and how this Great Adventure will connect audiences to refugees residing in the city. As part of the wider programme of events to support Refugee Week (19 – 25 June 2023), the ultimate ambition is to become a Theatre of Sanctuary - learning, understanding and welcoming new communities into the theatre space. This new themed adventure will take children and their families on a journey to experience and enjoy a modern twist on the classic story: The Three Little Pigs. Celebrating the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country, Hull Truck Theatre invite audiences to join them on an adventure that features an arts and crafts session followed by an interactive play. With the hope of creating some understanding and awareness of refugees, the challenges they face, and the contribution that refugees have made to society in the UK, this adventure will be a creative, theatrical experience to show audiences how art and culture can help widen our circles of compassion. Q.Tell us about your role at Hull Truck Theatre? Josie: I’m the Community and Learning Associate, which means I have the privilege of making theatre with lots of brilliant groups of people. I run Youth Theatre sessions for ages 7-18, our Act III group for retired adults which has an age range of about 62-92, and work with our regular school partnerships. I also work with local community groups on projects linking to our programme at the theatre, which could be anything from writing workshops, braiding friendship bracelets, or painting protest placards. I think what I enjoy the most about my role is being able to share ideas with people and working collaboratively to create honest and enjoyable theatre. I love giving group members a starting point, like a topic or a photo, and hearing all the wacky and wonderful ideas they come up with, and then helping to steer those ideas into a new piece of theatre. The Three Little Pigs will require me to speak with some community groups and ask people about the themes of arriving in a new city and what ‘home’ means to them. I’m looking forward to hearing people’s personal stories and then working with actors in the rehearsal room to connect with what we have heard. Q. What is ‘Great Adventures’ and who is it for? Josie: Great Adventures is for three- to six-year-olds and their families. It’s designed for young people to enjoy a more interactive piece of theatre, where they won’t be expected to sit and simply listen to actors performing on stage. With Great Adventures, children are encouraged to join in with playing a game or to shout suggestions for what characters should do next. Before each show we hold an arts and crafts session for 45 minutes where children and adults can create a craft together that will then be used within the show. For example, if the adventure was based on King Arthur, then we might craft some swords to use as props. The craft sessions also provide some creative time between the youngsters and the adults who bring them, enjoying the activity together in a stress free and social environment. Q. What can audiences expect from this version of The Three Little Pigs? Josie: Our version will include stories about asylum seekers and refugees, using The Three Little Pigs to portray three different lands. Following each character, we will discover how they move out of their home to find a safer home. The idea is to use a story that people are already familiar with, and then present it in our own way, with a new perspective on how the core meaning of the story is still relevant today. This will hopefully encourage audiences to think of how a community might welcome new people, people who haven't been safe previously in the place where they lived. Q. Did Hull inspire your writing for this piece / why now? Josie: Theatre reflects how we live, and I'm always inspired by Hull because it's full of communities who are diverse, some have been here for maybe weeks or months and others have been here their whole lives. I hope this story celebrates people who have just arrived as much as the people who have always lived here. My goal is to explain to the three-year-olds in the audience, that not everybody is as lucky to call Hull their home, where they feel safe, some people sleep on the street and need more support to feel safe. I like to believe that Hull is a welcoming city, but I think that all cities have room to be more welcoming and have a lot of work to do in getting people off the streets. When there are big moments of displacement like the Ukraine invasion, there will always be people who are displaced, those in need of relocation. The Three Little Pigs explores that three little pigs are from three different places, and anyone might be displaced. Setting the last place in Hull will make a connection with local audiences that displacement can happen anywhere, including your own city. Q. Who is the Big Bad Wolf and how can we learn from their mistakes? Josie: In this production the big bad wolf is a symbol for anything / anyone that's threatening our safety and for the children in the audience, that's probably enough for them to think about. As an adult it could be anything from the cost-of-living crisis to a whole host of reasons that your safety is threatened. This story asks how we can come together as a community to make sure people can be welcomed and all live in freedom. Q. The story is quite dark but does have a happy ending, how will you keep the story light yet educational? Josie: We will be interacting with our audiences in the telling of the story, which makes it less dark than what the subject matter is. Our villain will be played in a sort of comedic way, not focusing on the scariness of the wolf but the bravery of the pigs coming together. Q. What conversations between children and care givers are you hoping for after their theatre experience? Josie: I hope the first thing they ask is ‘Can I join the Youth Theatre!’ We talk a lot about community in this piece and our Youth Theatre is a community that gives young people a creative outlet, a place to express themselves in a positive and open environment, like a session for well-being. At Hull Truck Theatre, we are all about people participating in the arts, not only to observe art. As a society, we are good at entertaining babies, toddlers and children to understand the importance of creative play and at some point, we grow out of that. We believe that theatre is one of the places where we never grow too old for play. Creative play is still a useful tool for learning and sharing, no matter what age you are! Q. What should audiences look out for next? Josie: I'm working on a show right now called Hullovision (Fri 23 - Sat 24 June), which has been created with and by our Act III group for retired adults. The show follows an over-sixties Book Club in Hull who take on the fabulous, glamorous, and glitzy world of Eurovision to raise money for a Ukrainian family. This production will once again link to our theatre of sanctuary work, but in a very different way. Prepare for lip syncing, dance moves and glitter canons as this group prove that you’re never too old for an adventure. Tickets for Hullovision are available now via our website (https://www.hulltruck.co.uk/whats-on/drama/hullovision/). Tom Saunders - Associate Director (Creative Learning) at Hull Truck Theatre, said: ‘We’re developing this ‘Great Adventures’ with children and families with lived experiences of being refugees or asylum seekers, to better understand the lives of sanctuary seekers. We’re hoping that by furthering our understanding we can better remove barriers to taking part in the arts and make our theatre the most welcome place we can. We’d also like to acknowledge the generous support of Sarah Brignall whose donation has made this project possible.’ Great Adventures: The Three Little Pigs will be at Hull Truck Theatre on Saturday 27 and Tuesday 30 May. Two shows will be performed on each date, 10am and 11:30am. Each session begins with 45-minutes of arts and crafts, followed by a performance (approx. 45 minutes). Each show will be the same story and themes. Age guidance: 3 – 6 years old. Buy tickets: Great Adventures: The Three Little Pigs | HullTruckTheatre
