Interview: Observatory Theatre, 2023 Season Launch
It’s official; the Observatory Theatre 2023 Season has been formally launched in a celebration at Yeerongpilly’s Studio1. And what a busy year 2023 will be for the team. At the February season launch, Lachlan Driscoll, Founder & Creative Producer, gave a quick overview of Observatory Theatre’s plans for 2023, describing this as “our biggest and boldest year yet.” Launches are always interesting, and this well-attended gathering provided us with the opportunity to mingle with performers and creatives, to explore Yeerongpilly’s Studio1, and to hear more about the Observatory Theatre 2023 season. And to sample a celebratory cupcake…
Catherine: Congratulations on the launch of your third season. As Observatory Theatre is a relative newcomer (I first saw your Utopia! And the Caravan Calamity in 2021), it’s great to see Observatory producing ‘seasons’ of work (certainly inspiring for audiences and fellow artists). I’d be interested to know why the Observatory team decided to work on a ‘seasonal’ basis, rather than programming a sequence of individual works. Are there any particular advantages (or disadvantages) to this approach? Would you recommend this approach to other aspiring/new theatre companies?
Lachlan: I think seasons are a fantastic way to involve audiences more deeply in what we do as a company and also the shows themselves. The season becomes an invitation to get a bit closer. The curation of a season of work around a core focus is a chance for audiences to gain more meaning than if the shows were just standalone. And the best thing about it is that everyone has their own unique interpretation, so the season means something different to everyone.
Catherine: How did you decide upon the three works in your 2023 season? Do you start with a theme, or start with a work or artist you really want to include?
Lachlan: A very good question! For me, it starts with a particular work and then other works are selected around that. Sometimes a theme doesn't emerge straight away, but I make sure to look for what makes them all relevant and unique for today, or in what direction the Observatory is looking at this year. So there are always connections. There's a balance between 'why this play now' and the imaginative, fantastical spirit of the company. For 2023, I knew that The Turquoise Elephant (2-11 June) was a done deal, and then Picnic at Hanging Rock (August) and Disney Off Ice (Nov 24 - Dec 3) were the next strongest options for plays that had connections between them and also brought variety to the overall season. Some other works that were on the cards did not appear this year. They might in future seasons. It depends. The plot thickens.
Catherine: I have so many questions about each work, but I’ll keep it to just one about each show in this year’s season. I am really looking forward to the Stephen Carleton play. The Turquoise Elephant sounds intriguing. Why do YOU think audiences just have to come and see this work in 2023?
Lachlan: Gosh, I am so excited for this one. You have to see it because the writer, Stephen Carleton, is a national treasure. His plays are so distinctly Australian and distinctly now, so it's a must see for people who love fresh Australian theatre. Secondly, there aren't many plays like this out there: plays that are so outrageously funny and savage that they run the risk of being censored, and plays where there is an actual elephant on stage. I am not joking. There is a huge elephant that enters stage multiple times! Now surely that is worth seeing?!
Picture: The Turquoise Elephant (Credit: Creative Futures Photography)
Picture: Disney Off Ice (Credit: Creative Futures Photography).
Catherine: It sounds as if Picnic at Hanging Rock will be quite a contrast to the first play in your 2023 season! Is Picnic a particular challenge for the creative team, as audiences might measure the play against a successful film?
Lachlan: I think audiences know that stage is a different ball game from film, but also I think this particular version of Picnic is a very different take on the original story. The challenge is not so much the benchmark of Peter Weir's film, but rather whether fans new and old of Lindsay's novel will enjoy and appreciate this new adaptation. To see this enduring story performed live in the flesh is the ultimate way to experience it—and, in my opinion, the only way!
Catherine: Congratulations on the casting of the lead role for Disney Off Ice. Those of us who remember the TV programs introduced by ‘Uncle Walt’ are greatly impressed by your casting of the talented lookalike, Tom Coyle. What do you see as the main challenges, for the Producer and Director of this new work?
Lachlan: Avoiding the legal wrath of Disney….. I am joking, but there is always that thought in the back of the mind, isn't there? Thank you for mentioning our Disney lookalike. We certainly were blessed when Tom Coyle was available and interested in the role, and I pinch myself daily that we found our Mr Disney. Tom is indisputably the man himself. As for challenges as director, I want to find the line where we sympathise with the horrendous predicament Walt finds himself in. The play ultimately exposes his darker, ruthless side, but there is also a very different side to Walt, the side that's often overshadowed by negative criticism. I want to find that side of him—and whether this American icon was all steel and strength or just plain smoke and mirrors.
Catherine: You mentioned the challenges for the Director. I see that you are directing and producing this season….do you think you’ll have time to sleep in 2023? Seriously tho’, do you prefer to work in this way?
Lachlan: Sleep is for the weak, Catherine! But… honestly… while producing is my main job, there's nothing I love more than diving into a script with a great bunch of people. You could say it's my real passion. So I can't wait to get started.
Catherine: We’ve touched on the three works in your 2023 season. But what have been the top three highlights for you from the previous Observatory seasons?’
Lachlan: Okay, top three. Number three: Working in the amazing Old Museum in Bowen Hills for Portraits (2021). That place is a grand and gothic wonderland. I will take any excuse I can get to do another show there or do anything else there for that matter. Probably one of my favourite places in Brisbane. Number two: Dodging the rain every single time we did Destiny Doomed (2022) in Musgrave Park! We were fortunate that only one of the six shows were moved indoors because of the rain. In fact, number two really is the entire Destiny Doomed process; seeing it grow and develop over that year, with new songs added here and there, was such a joyous and exciting time. And number one: Surely Peter Wood's understudy appearance in Control (2022) as a shifty android called 'Alex'. A legendary, once in a lifetime moment, which arguably made my whole year.
Catherine: Some really great memories, thank you! Before we close, and I let you get back to working on the 2023 Season, I’d love to ask a few more questions about Observatory Theatre—starting with why ’observatory’?
Lachlan: Well, an Observatory is a hub of activity, a hub of anticipation, reflection and analysis. We can use an Observatory to look into the skies, to see new worlds, places, people and ideas. Theatre can do the same. Theatre imagines scenarios that may not occur in our lives, things our eyes have never seen, words that we haven't heard before, or people we have never encountered or taken the time to consider. So at Observatory Theatre, we hope to magnify these things, whatever new, delightful and unexpected things we come across.
Catherine: So I guess that means you are already thinking about 2024. Each of your seasons has shown great variety – from a play in a park through to tap-dancing utopia work—so can you give us any hints about what might be in your 2024 program?
Lachlan: Yes, 2024 is in the works and will continue our focus on including varied genres and forms. What they are, just yet, is unfortunately top secret.
Catherine: Quite understand…I’ll just have to be patient! But perhaps I can ask if there a particular play or artist that might be on your wish list for 2024 onwards…
Lachlan: I like Keziah Warner's writing, who wrote Control last year and is a Melbourne based playwright. She has a clever, unsettling and emotionally charged voice, and she often chooses to include fantastical elements in her work, which I really enjoy. Also, Maxine Mellor from Brisbane who writes such interesting and intense stories. I am also a big fan of classic plays—Arthur Miller as one—particularly their lesser known portfolios. I wouldn't say no to ever putting a classic on Observatory Theatre's stage. I'll leave it there for now.
Catherine: Thank you; lots to look forward to, then. And it is wonderful to see that you are encouraging new writing, with your aptly named Telescope program. It was good to have the opportunity to hear from Oliver Gough at your launch event (whose new work, which you described at the launch as the science-fiction-esque Disney Off Ice, will close your 2023 season), and to learn that applications for the 2023 program will soon be open. Why have you decided to focus on new writers?
Lachlan: New writing and new Australian writing is another of my passions. I love coming across a real gem and having that eureka moment. More importantly than that, new stories are necessary to support and put on stages. Theatre has to move with the times, and therefore has to move with what's being written. My imagination takes flight whenever I read new stories because (usually) they are compelling and exciting and the ways they could be visualised on stage are endless. They're just miraculous things of pure beauty. And so our writing program, Telescope, really places an emphasis on supporting the writer through every stage of the writing process; ensuring there is enough support and development opportunities, and then finally producing it on stage as best we can.
As for other opportunities, we do also offer internship-style roles on our productions. This is usually in an Assistant Director capacity, for upcoming young artists. These are great opportunities to become involved in the entire process of script to stage. As someone who got involved in a lot of opportunities, and continues to be now in fact, I greatly value those experiences—so these internships are a way that I can give back.
Catherine: That’s great to hear. Just finally, I see that the 2023 season is all at the one venue—which was also the venue for this season launch. Great to visit this relatively new space. Any particular reason for this choice?
Lachlan: There are so many gems this year as part of our 2023 Season, and Studio1 is the biggest of them all: great location, parking and nearby restaurants. It really is a perfect night at the theatre. The venue itself is pretty new, and has great facilities. I really hope audiences enjoy spending time there. The theatre itself is so flexible and adaptable, all the more room for these shows to be the best they can be. Come on down, grab a drink from the foyer bar, or tacos from the brewing company down the road, then settle in for the show, relax and put your feet up.
Catherine: Yes…good to hear, at the launch, that Slipstream Brewing are also offering 10% discount to Observatory ticketholders! Thanks for ‘chatting’ with us. I love the idea of a theatre company that never wants to bore its audiences [a reference to the Observatory project goals that include ‘to never be boring, to inspire and engage, and to provide outstanding experiences for audiences]. We can’t wait for you to get started, and Studio1 certainly is a convenient venue for Brisbane audiences. Here’s wishing you well for the 2023 season… and seasons to come.
Lachlan: Absolutely, we certainly don't [want to bore audiences]—it's a philosophy of mine! Thank you Catherine. We can't wait to welcome everyone to the theatre and hear what they think of the shows. This is our biggest and boldest season yet! SO I hope everyone will have a look at our website, Instagram and Facebook for updates, and buy tickets when they are on sale.
Audience information: Tickets for the first 2023 show in the Observatory Theatre 2023 SEASON , The Turquoise Elephant (June 2 - 11), are now on sale.
The reviewer attended the 17 February 2023 Observatory Theatre Season Launch. This interview first appeared at Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane