Photos from UCLA Performing Arts Improbable Theatre, the
Obie Award-winning British import and creator of "Shockheaded
Peter," presents the West Coast premiere of its newest show,
"Spirit." "Spirit" deals with the psychological impact of war on
three brothers.
By Brette Fishman
Daily Bruin Contributor
Life sometimes changes unexpectedly, especially during wartime.
People and places that are familiar can be become altered into
something unknown.
“Spirit,” the latest production by Britain’s
acclaimed Improbable Theatre Company, tells the story of three
brothers who are torn from the comfort of their homeland to the
ravages of war. Opening this Wednesday at the Freud Playhouse,
“Spirit” is a unique production that defies genre
classification to create a piece that will captivate audiences.
Through their unique blend of improvisation, puppetry,
storytelling and visual imagery, the actors of the Improbable
Theatre troupe tell the story of three brothers who dream of
flying. Their dream comes to fruition, however, in an unfortunate
twist of fate, when they are forced to go to war.
The show’s look at the effects of war on the brothers is
different from other theatrical productions in that it is directed
by a professional theater director as well as a psychologist.
Veteran Improbable Theatre director Julian Crouch collaborated with
psychologist Arlene Audergon during the preparatory stages of
“Spirit.”
Audergon is an American psychologist who is known for Process
Work and conflict resolution work. A process worker is someone who
believes that everything, from illness to the way people move, is
the result of the subconscious. Audergon works through
psychological issues by analyzing the reactions of a person’s
body and mind, with the idea that this will lead to a resolution of
the conflict. Her work brings a unique perspective to the play.
Audergon has traveled to the war-torn countries of the former
Yugoslavia to help lead an ongoing U.N.-funded project that works
with the tensions caused by post-war issues. She also helped
develop a method of applying Process Work to theater. Her teaming
with the Improbable Theatre troupe provides an unusual look into
the brothers’ psyches when they are forced to deal with death
and war.
Crouch explained that the Improbable Theatre did not become
involved in putting together the production because it was
particularly interested in war.
 Improbable Theatre’s new play, "Spirit," can been seen at
the Freud Playhouse on January 24-27. Psychologist Arlene
Audergon contributed to the production. “We were
interested in how our own lives, and how our own work in theater
involved a great deal of conflict, and so we wanted to do a show
that explored conflicts and explored a war, but from a theatrical
point of view,” Crouch said.
Crouch further explained that he and his colleagues avoided
certain issues and that Audergon helped provide additional
perspective in analyzing the war issues in
“Spirit.”
“We shy away from certain things,” Crouch said.
“I think she was very good at looking at us and seeing the
areas that we were trying to avoid “¦ or a safety that we were
trying to stay in. So, in a sense she did her Process Work on
us.”
Teamed with the production are the directorial talents of Crouch
and Phelim McDermott. The two directors previously worked together
on the award-winning junk opera “Shockheaded Peter.”
McDermott also serves double duty, playing one of the three
brothers in the show.
He and Crouch had the opportunity to collaborate with friends
and fellow performers Guy Dartnell and Lee Simpson.
“For me, the greatest enjoyment that I had was the fact
that the three actors who are on stage have known each other and
have worked with each other for over 10 years,” Crouch said.
“You often spend a lot of time trying to get people
comfortable with each other, but these three have been part of a
very, very long marriage, so they can take big risks with each
other.”
“They can be very rude to each other, they can be very
personal and they can also be very affectionate,” he
continued. “The interesting thing I think about doing this
work is working with people who really are strong, strong enough
that they can be weak in front of each other.”
 "Spirit" tells the story of three brothers who are sent
off to war.
Crouch describes “Spirit” as a much smaller and more
personal show than “Shockheaded Peter,” which involved
a larger cast and more puppets. The characters’ reactions to
war and death are less contrived and more natural; therefore,
according to Crouch, about one third of the show is
improvised.
“They know roughly where they’re going to go with
it, but they take people by surprise every night,” Crouch
said.
The stage assumes many different roles throughout the
performance, and the actors use a variety of puppets.
“I like the audience to do a bit of work and I think this
is why we use quite a lot of puppetry,” Crouch said.
“The audience has to make an investment. They know that
it’s a puppet, but in order for them to enjoy the experience,
they have to make the puppet real in their imagination.”
Crouch explained that this investment is a fundamental goal for
any project that he directs, to have the audience become involved
in the production.
“With any show that I work on, I want to take risks with
the work and I want people to be challenged, but at the same time I
want people to be comfortable and to be entertained,” Crouch
said. “Always I’m kind of going for those two things at
the same time.”
Such guidelines are what Crouch aims to meet when he directs a
show. When he achieves these goals for himself, he knows that he
has succeeded in directing a show that an audience will enjoy.
“When I direct, I imagine my grandmother on one side of me
and one of my daughters on the other side,” Crouch said.
“I want all of us to be happy with it; I want it to appeal
across the board. So, I suppose I want people to enjoy the shows,
and I also want them to be surprised.”
THEATER: Improbable Theatre performs
“Spirit” at the Freud Playhouse Jan. 24 to 27. Tickets
are $9 to $35 at the UCLA Central Ticket Office, Ticketmaster
outlets, and online at www.performing
arts.ucla.edu. For information, call (310) 825-2101.