Things I Know To Be True
By Andrew Bovell2016 and 2017
Overview
A Frantic Assembly and State Theatre Company South Australia production. Co-produced with Warwick Arts Centre in association with Chichester Festival Theatre and the Lyric Hammersmith
First performed 13th May 2016 at Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide
This post is written by:
I received a call from Australian director Geordie Brookman asking whether I fancied working with him and writer Andrew Bovell on a new project.
Geordie mentioned that Andrew wanted to do something different and the suggestion was we go into a rehearsal room with nothing but a book of Gregory Crewdson photos and see what happened. Of course, I was totally up for it.
After a week of work in Adelaide the Price family started to take shape. Andrew was fantastic at creating improvisations with the brilliant Australian actors. Geordie and I would take this on and explore the physical language of the piece. Designer Geoff Cobham was a vital collaborator. Nils Frahm's music brought it all together.
Things I Know To Be True is about love in many of its forms. At times comforting and supportive. At others suffocating and destructive. But always love.
I was so proud of how the show connected with its audience. Many shows ended with groups of people embracing and consoling each other. Nearly everyone left promising to go home and phone their mum!
It may have looked like a less physical show but every moment started with contained stillness. There was a physical precision to every moment that was challenging for the actors involved but it was crucial to creating the Crewdson inspired imagery.
Because of this, I actually consider this delicate production as one of our more physical shows!
