Preview: Orpheus & Eurydice

Pictured above: cast member Hannah Douglas in rehearsal

After a triumphant Macbeth in Redcliffe Caves, site-specific theatre masters Insane Root return. And this time they’re leading us into the Underworld…

Their Macbeth in the caves beneath Redcliffe was one of the theatrical events of 2015 (and again last year: “a special production, perfectly aware of the power and influence of its setting,” we noted). Now, Bristol’s Insane Root return this month with another timeless tale in another unusual location: they’ll be the first theatre company to perform in the recently-re-opened vaults beneath the Suspension Bridge.

Insane Root’s adaptation of the Ancient Greek legend Orpheus & Eurydice will last for 35 minutes, featuring music by Ellie Showering and a script by the acclaimed Bath writer Alison Farina: and it will be performed semi-promenade in the Leigh Woods vaults, with audience members advised to wear sturdy shoes (not least for ascending and descending some vertical ladders).

Combining live music, singing and storytelling, the company invite audiences of 12 at a time into a forgotten chamber where the soul of Eurydice still waits for her lover Orpheus to return.

Director Hannah Drake and producer Justin Palmer told us more.

What led you to this particular tale and location?
Justin: Funnily enough, it was your magazine! We first heard about the Suspension Bridge vaults last summer during our second run of Macbeth at the Redcliffe Caves. I was browsing your website and the article about the vaults popped up on my screen. I immediately thought that this was a place Insane Root needed to investigate.
Luckily for us Laura Hilton from the Clifton Suspension Bridge Charitable Trust had seen Macbeth and offered Hannah and myself a visit. The journey down and into the vaults was what gave Hannah the first notion about Orpheus entering the Underworld. Travelling down the sloping path into the Gorge, the audience are making their own downward journey.

And it’s an atmospheric place…?
Justin: On entering the vaults, we were both struck by the scale of what had been sealed up for over 150 years. The height of the ceilings and how they were shaped felt like a great hall or church that had been left to slowly rot. The huge stalactites hanging from the ceiling gave an air of danger and conjured up images in my head of fingers reaching out to the ground below. Just as powerful, though, were the noises – the occasional thud of dripping water, the low bass buzz of a car moving far above and of course the sound of your own voice echoing around the chamber. Just as in the Redcliffe Caves, you feel cut off from the modern world.

What did you learn, from Macbeth, about the pleasures of making theatre in unusual locations?
Hannah: We’ve become acclimatised to the conventions of attending theatre: a warm building, a lovely (often fairly expensive) bar, with ushers and assigned seats: watching a tale unfold in relative comfort. With Macbeth, we found that putting theatre into unusual locations forces us out of that comfort zone and can unlock something new. Being in a strange space keeps you alert and means your experience of the characters and play can be heightened. We also found that working in these crazy spaces unlocks something in a company: there is nowhere to hide when you are acting inches away from the audience, but conjuring characters and emotion is much easier in such an immersive environment. It really bonds you together.

And what of the challenges?
Hannah: The biggest challenges are always practical: no infrastructure, so no box office, no bar, no dressing rooms! For Orpheus we are fortunate to have the support of the Suspension Bridge Trust so there is a beautiful new Visitor Centre to shelter in between shows. On the other hand, everything we need (people, chairs, costumes, props, lighting) has to go down a ladder. That naturally affects choices in design. 

Orpheus & Eurydice Feb 17-March 12, meet Clifton Suspension Bridge Visitor Centre. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.insaneroot.co.uk/orpheus