A playful reimagining of the tale told from the perspective of The Wolf, Ireland’s CoisCéim Dance Theatre will present an energetic interpretation of Sergei Prokofiev’s timeless story of courage and imagination at Arts Centre Melbourne on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 July 2017.
The Wolf and Peter is filled with dance and live music, this fun and richly theatrical production will take children and their families on a thrilling adventure to explore and discover contemporary dance and performance.
Director David Bolger’s inspiration to reinterpret the classic came from a primary school experience watching a cartoon of Prokofiev’s tale, Peter and the Wolf, which includes one of the most well-known pieces of music ever written.
In the middle of the screening the projector broke down and spluttered out the reel of the film, much to the amusement of the assembled audience. While some boys laughed and others started to boldly whistle Peter’s famous theme tune, Bolger started to imagine the people in the school as the characters of the story.
Bolger says he wanted to use the original impetus for the music, the themes and motifs intended to introduce children to the music and the orchestra, to do the same for dance. “The composition seems to beg to be danced to, to tell the story to children of the computer generation, but only using time honoured stage techniques, magic and dancing from the heart,’’ says Bolger.
“By flipping the title and allowing The Wolf to be the star, I want to tell the story from his/her point of view. Letting the Huntsmen be the baddies’ and reinterpreting this classic in way that speaks to the next generation, while being respectful to the richness of the original story, music and dance of the past.”
Peter and the Wolf was a musical score originally written as an engaging way to introduce children to the instruments of an orchestra. New Zealand born pianist Lance Coburn will play the classic score and Linehan’s original compositions live on stage. Coburn graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire and the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
Founded in 1995 CoisCéim’s Dance Theatre style of performance is contemporary and vibrant, with a knowing regard for the everyday. The scale of the company’s work ranges from duets in a hotel bedroom (Chamber Made), to the large-scale spectacle, (A Dash of Colour) which was seen by millions on television and involved more than 75,000 people for the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics, 2003. The Company’s name comes from the Irish word for footstep and is pronounced ‘Kush Came’.
The Wolf and Peter
Fairfax Studio – Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne
Performances: 1 & 2 July 2017
Information and Bookings: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au
Image: The Wolf and Peter – photo by Ros Kavanagh