Interview: INKBLOC Ensemble

The INKBLOC Ensemble are a youthful, bright eyed and unquestionably dynamic bunch. I encounter them in a rehearsal room at Bristol Old Vic, as they are playing a fast-paced, high-energy and harmoniously synchronised warm-up game after lunch.

The walls of the rehearsal space are covered with plans and scrawls, and you immediately get the sense that this is a place of action and fresh, experimental art. They are a vibrant and exciting part of the Bristol Old Vic’s annual Made In Bristol project for 18-25 year olds.

It’s worth noting that past Made In Bristol troops have been widely acclaimed: Wardrobe Ensemble, who now have a permanent theatre space in Old Market, started here in 2010 before going on to tour internationally.

This year’s troop certainly have a high-flying and acclaimed succession of predecessors to live up to, but they’re not fazed. They assure me that they’ll do it in their own entirely unique and inimitable way.

Before they get back to their intense rehearsal schedule, I sit down with Genevieve Sabherwal, Casey Lloyd, Alison Cowling, Amy Kemp, Maddie Coward and Francis Asare Lawrence – just part of the 13-strong cast – to speak about their upcoming play, Lego Beach,

The idea for Lego Beach is based on a real-life 1997 event, the cast explain. “There was a shipping container spill off the coast of Cornwall,” Maddie explains. “In a freak storm, a ship lost a couple of containers, and in one of the containers there were 4.8 million pieces of Lego.

“There’s a Facebook page from Cornwall called Lego Lost at Sea, where they post images and discussions about all the Lego. The people on the page compete over who can find the most lego octopuses and who can find a sea dragon!”

Lego Beach tells the story of a Cornish community ravaged by small pieces of coloured plastic, and where memories and Lego alike continue to haunt the beaches. It has been devised by the company.

Their response to the challenges of creating a play from scratch reflects the harmony of their performance, “It’s all about working together,” Maddie says. “Whenever one of us is tired, or there’s a problem, we’ll all pick one another up. We’ll play a game or write something down. We’ve just all got such a drive.”

They’re also really praiseworthy of the support of Bristol Old Vic has given them. “It’s so nice to be given this space,” Amy says, and they all nod in agreement. As well as acting, they’re also being given a great chance to gain technical experience – all cast members have a technical role as well, from marketing to costume design.

“Something I find quite interesting about drama school is that they only teach you how to be an actor, to be a character on stage,” says Francis. “They never say, look you’re going to see how a theatre works, and you might find out you’re be good at something else. I’ve found the experience of learning what it takes to make the actors’ world just as valuable.”

“To create the characters and the story, we did a lot of free-writing and the ideas just came from there,” Maddie explains. “We created a lot like that. We thought a lot about how the characters would think, and how they work as part of the plot.

“Alice is also queen of improv. She’ll get us up on our feet, and running with the ideas, so we’ll test things out like that, and make sure the characters have a clear path through the plot.”

The troop have chosen to use sea shanty songs and an array of instruments to create the sense of a stormy, tidal atmosphere. “We’ve been playing with having the musicians in the room so that everything fits together,” Casey says. “All of our voices work so well together – we’ve been doing a lot of harmony work.”

Alison has worked on the musical direction of the performance. “As we developed the choreography, Alice was on the accordion and Casey played the electric guitar,” she explains. “Being in the room while the music is playing can really help you gain a feel for the essence you’re going for.” Working in such close collaboration has been great for the team, Casey continues. “There’s a real sense of togetherness. It’s a bit messy sometimes, but it’s how it should be.”

The cast are all aged between 18-25, and feel strongly that there is a place for young people in the theatre world. “Obviously, the arts scene in Bristol is already really good, so the question is about accessibility and how to reach people,” Amy says.

“We use social media a lot, and sometimes we don’t even label what we do as ‘theatre’. Recently, we just went into a community worked with them, and made a show like that, without giving it a grand title. That can help people engage more.”

Lego Beach runs from July 19-22 at Bristol Grammar School’s 1532 Theatre. To book tickets: www.bristololdvic.org.uk/lego-beach.html

Read more interviews: Fleetmac Wood