Quirk Theatre are back in our cARTridges Gallery with another fantastic showcase of their past and present productions.
In an interview with Katie Villa, Artistic Director of Quirk, we find out why this year they are bringing back an audience favourite, Ernie and The Sea of Ice.
Book tickets to see Quirk’s classic tale Ernie and the Sea of Ice at Exeter Phoenix.
Can you tell us a bit about Ernie and the Sea of Ice and what inspired the story?
Ernie & The Sea of Ice tells the remarkable true story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his attempt to lead the first expedition across the Antarctic on foot in 1914. Full of the spirit of adventure, Ernest set off with 27 men, 69 dogs and a ship’s cat called Mrs Chippy, on board his boat, The Endurance. But disaster struck! The ship got completely crushed by the ice, leaving Ernest and his men stuck on the ice, thousands of miles from the nearest rescue with only three lifeboats. Without dropping too many spoilers, Ernest manages to get all his men home, against the odds. And it’s become one of the greatest survival stories of all time! And of course, we have given the story the Quirk treatment! So expect plenty of laughs, silliness… and penguins!
What made you decide to bring back Ernie?
It’s just an absolute hoot of a show, and a total audience favourite. Whenever we asked people what their most memorable Quirk show was, it was always Ernie. And so, nine years later, we’ve decided to dust it off, polish it up and bring it back, to the delight of old and new audiences alike! If you’ve seen it before we’ve kept all the best bits and given the rest some new sparkle!
How does Quirk Theatre approach storytelling for family audiences?
We pride ourselves on offering a socially conscious, meaningful alternative to panto in Exeter – and have been doing it for well over 20 years now! A Quirk show is often a child’s first ever experience of live theatre, which can spark a love of theatre that lasts a lifetime. And that’s an opportunity we take very seriously. But we also believe deeply in the power of laughter and the magic of being in a theatre with a live audience. So I guess I’d sum that up as – taking being incredibly silly, incredibly seriously! Also we truly believe that our audiences deserve the best – children deal with big stories and big feelings every single day, and so we love exploring the big stuff, with plenty of laughter and stage magic.
What role does visual art play in your productions, and can you talk us through some of the displays at Cartridges Law?
We are all really visual thinkers, and how a show looks is so important to us. We have worked with some incredible designers over the years, and lots of the pictures and props you’ll see at our Cartridge’s exhibition have been made by Fi Russell – she’s a total dream to work with. We love building the visual worlds with Fi, and my partner in creative crime (Simon) is a carpenter when he’s not making theatre. So Simon makes these incredible sets, that often look like these amazing playgrounds that you can’t wait to explore!
And over the years we’ve been privileged to work with brilliant local artists too. Like Nia Gould (who does all our brilliant poster artwork) and collage artist Rosie Race, who, alongside the communities of Exeter, illustrated our gorgeous book, Mary The Pigeon Who Never Gave Up.
Why is it important for Quirk Theatre to collaborate with local businesses like Cartridges Law?
We are so deeply embedded in the Exeter community. All our core team live here and love this city deeply. And we are a 100% south west team – proudly homegrown, making great theatre right here in our city. So the support of local businesses like Cartridges Law is so valuable to us. We love making connections in the community, supporting a thriving cultural scene – and we love that Cartridges Law support local arts and culture through their exhibitions and sponsorship.
What do you hope visitors to Cartridges Law will take away from seeing your cARTridges gallery?
I hope that they will feel inspired by the creativity that’s on their doorstep. And to feel inspired by the little glimpse behind the scenes of theatremaking. We truly believe that stories change lives, so I hope it reminds visitors that there are magical stories everywhere!
Has working with the Theatre Green Book changed the way you have directed the show this time around?
Absolutely! Theatre Green Book is so embedded in our practices now and that’s kind of the point of it. Whenever we are considering what show to do each year, it’s such an important part of the conversation – can we make it sustainably? Does it tell the kind of stories that we want to tell, or that our planet needs us to tell. More and more we are finding ourselves telling stories with sustainability at their heart and we are so excited about that.
What’s one thing audiences can look forward to when they come to see Ernie and the Sea of Ice?
Laughter! Something that we all need lots more of at the moment! But also (to sneak in a second thing) a heartwarming story of a young boy finding his brave.
How can people support Quirk Theatre beyond attending the show?
Well the thing is, despite making shows for 20 odd years in this gorgeous city, there are still loads of people who haven’t heard of us! So obviously coming to the show will be a great way to support us. But also telling your friends/families/neighbours/aunties. And if you’re connected to a school, check in with your school or PTFA to see if they’ve booked to come and see it – we have two weeks of dedicated school shows. We just love hosting local schools and making the experience extra special for them.
Where and when can people catch the performance, and how can they book tickets?
Ernie and the Sea of Ice opens at Exeter Phoenix on 14th December and runs until 28th. There are family friendly show times and we pride ourselves on being the most affordable, full production Christmas show in the area! We’ve got BSL interpreted and relaxed performances and a cracking show to share – so we will see you there!
