La Boite kicks off a celebratory year

The stage is set for La Boite’s 90th year to be a diverse theatrical feast and a celebration for an exciting future.
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La Boite launches its 2015 program. (Credit: Paul Sickling)

It’s not called a double sapphire for nothing – with an exciting new programme launched for its 90th year, La Boite’s anything but a theatre senior.

Australia’s only professional theatre-in-the-round, La Boite takes its name from the French word for ‘the box’. It was named so in 1967, after members of the company took down the walls of an old house and set seats around the centre, giving it an appearance of a box.

Muriel Watson (who also happens to be 90 years old) was an actress and part of that group says, ‘the awful part of it was that when it was pouring and raining, we had to get a beach umbrella and another pair of shoes and I’d come in from the other side of the house dry as a bone and that surprised everyone.’

‘We had a lot of problems, and we made the best of it. We never stopped to think about things if they were going wrong – we got in and we did things,’ adds Watson.

And it’s on shoulders such as these that La Boite has been carried into its ninth decade. Chris Kohn, La Boite’s newly appointed Artistic Director and CEO says, ‘there’s been a lot of talk about theatre elders and how important they are, and it’s inspiring to look at someone like Muriel.

‘The one thing that theatre-makers do well is that they are resourceful and don’t let anything get in the way of creating opportunities for an actor to connect with audiences,’ says Kohn.

La Boite’s killer new season has many such opportunities for artists from diverse cultural backgrounds and different levels of dramaturgy.

‘As one of the country’s oldest continually operating theatre companies, La Boite has many times reinvented itself to remain alive to the present – this spirit of renewal is central to next year’s program.’

Kohn believes that the big shift in the arts in Australia has been about removing the obstacles, which have historically made it difficult for younger people from a range of backgrounds to become practicing artists.

‘By removing those obstacles and providing opportunities, you have much larger pool of talent to draw from.

‘One of the things we are doing at La Boite is to increase the amount of creative development time for shows, the research and development on new artists, new emerging writers or established artists who want to try out new things,’ adds Kohn.

Kohn’s vision for La Boite is to include the aesthetics of different art forms on stage. He feels that theatre is by nature an inclusive art form and so potentially everything has a home in La Boite.

‘One of our Artists-in-Residence is Eleanor Jackson, who’s a performance poet, and we are encouraging her to bring that language to her writing for the stage.

‘Similarly, Niz Jabour, another Artist-in-Residence who has recently arrived from Iraq, is a performance academic and truly a hybrid artist.

‘He is working with us on a project in collaboration with professional artists in Iraq, which he will then bring back to Australia in Townsville and will work that into a piece with local artists,’ adds Kohn.

The coming year will also be Kohn’s directorial debut with Suzie Miller’s feminist version of Euripides’ Medea. Both Miller and Kohn are interested in dissecting gender and stereotype through the adaptation.

‘It is a collaboration between Chris and I. He’s an incredibly brilliant director, quick and thoughtful, and his interpretations of character are quite exciting to work with,’ adds Miller.

For Kohn, a theatre is a place where everyone can publically dream as a group; a place that takes into account the full breadth of the society from which it springs. From his previous role as Australia’s first Theatre Diversity Associate, he brings with him valuable new direction as La Boite enters a new decade.

‘If a young person from a non-Anglo background, a recent arrival into Australia, sees only white stories and white actors on the stage, then the story being told is that there’s no place for that person.

‘It’s up to the artists and companies to take responsibility for that – if we want theatre to be vibrant in 20-30 years’ time, then right now one of the stories we need to be telling is that the stage is for everybody.

‘I strongly believe that Australian theatre will benefit greatly when its structure better allows for a broader range of influences,’ adds Kohn.

He hopes, in the coming years, to partner with a broad range of smaller and larger companies to make that happen and increase the profile and influence of the company around Australia and internationally as well.

‘I think that Australia is in a position to be known internationally for work that’s built around an actor, writer and director and their immediate relationship with the audience.’

‘So, for the 90th year what we are going to do is re-connect people from the past with the company of the present to really re-assert the value of the company.

‘Although we are 90 years old, the company boasts a youthful approach; driven by optimism, curiosity, restlessness and an appetite for adventure. The 2015 program demonstrates that this appetite is stronger than ever,’ adds Kohn.

To book season tickets to La Boite’s 2015 programme click here. For Programme details click here.

Jasmeet Sahi
About the Author
Jasmeet Sahi is a freelance writer and editor based in Melbourne.