With her theatre company How It Ended, Eva Sampson tailors performances to engage as many audience members as possible.
With the rise and rise of smart technology, theatre can sometimes feel a bit old hat. Sitting quietly in a darkened space for two and a half hours can be an ordeal for a generation brought up on instant access entertainment.
Increasingly actors are having to deal with disruption in the audience, whether it's mobile phones going off (and even being answered) or people behaving as though they're at home watching TV, rather than a live performance.
One way to counteract such behaviour is to introduce specially designated ‘relaxed’ performances, at least for family shows so that audiences are not constrained by the traditional theatre etiquette. The idea is to provide a less formal environment in which children and young people can move around if they wish, and where the house lights may be kept on as dark spaces are not for everyone. Some technical adjustments may also be made to the performance, such as reducing any loud noises or dazzling light effects.
In the UK, more than 15 per cent of the population is neurodiverse so there is a good reason for theatres to ensure they are making provision for that minority. Wimbledon's Polka Theatre led the way in 2006 with ‘autism-friendly’ performances of We're Going on a Bear Hunt, since when the West End has picked up the idea, with shows such as Shrek and Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker offering special shows with subsidised ticket pricing.
Relaxed rules
‘You really don't have to change that much to make them relaxed,’ explains Eva Sampson, co-founder of the company How It Ended, which tailors its productions to families as well as children with special needs. ‘Keep the house lights on, make sure there are no flashing lights or loud bangs. Every child expresses themselves slightly differently. If a small child would rather sit on a step than on their parent's knee, or if they want to eat a biscuit, that's fine. So long as it's not disrespectful to the show, anything goes. It's just a way to get kids to engage with what's happening on stage.’
An adapted approach
At the time of speaking, Sampson was just about to open How It Ended's third sensory-adapted show, The Fir Tree, based on a Hans Christian Andersen's short story about a young fir tree that yearns to be bigger and older. Like the company's two previous shows, The Little Gardener and Wild, it is written by Theresa Burns, co-founder of How It Ended, and channels concerns around wellbeing, the importance of living in the present, and the environment.
The Little Gardener, which toured the UK in 2016, was based on a charming picture book by Emily Hughes and took place in a big, custom-made greenhouse where the young visitors were encouraged to help a sleepy puppet gardener complete his gardening chores. ‘It's really important that we create unpatronising, playful pieces of theatre that encourage children to use their imaginations,’ says Sampson. ‘At school my way of learning was different from other people's and I always felt I was stupid. I want young people to believe they can experience things differently and not feel judged. It was only when I did drama that I felt free and that I felt myself. My drama teacher, Sandy Miller, was inspirational for me.’
Origin story
Samson and Burns met while studying drama at Birmingham University. ‘I was intending to become an actor and it was Theresa who suggested that I should direct an open-air production of Oedipus. That's when I felt, “This is where I'm meant to be.” Making work for families requires a great amount of craft. It's taught me how to tell stories simply and to give an audience what it thinks it wants while at the same time trying to push the boundaries of what family-friendly work can be by being as inventive as possible.’
Music and puppetry are important aspects of How It Ended's work, as well as foley, the sound effects that accompany an action. ‘They are all short cuts to engagement,’ says Samson. ‘We have a brilliant foley consultant, Tom Espiner, who is also a puppeteer.’
Perfect partnership
Samson and Burns are hoping to mount a UK tour of The Fir Tree in 2025, following its run at the Arts Depot in North Finchley. It is nearly 20 years since they met and started working together. ‘I think our partnership works because we not only get on as friends, but we also respect each other as creatives. Honesty is the key. We know we can be brutally honest with each other and that ultimately the other one will take it on the chin. We have very different skill sets but we've always shared the same overall vision for the company.’
The Fir Tree has proved especially resonant for Samson who lost her beloved grandmother during the pandemic. ‘One of the themes of the show is how stories live on after someone dies, and that struck a chord with me. I'm just a big kid who wants to tell stories.’
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