Lisa Smith is a director, actor, writer, teacher, facilitator, singer and theatre maker. For 17 years she’s worked with theatre companies here and abroad and in 2012 she established her own company – White Rabbit Theatre Ensemble – based here on the Gold Coast.
With the support of City of Gold Coast’s GENERATE program, Lisa created a new work ‘Agnes & Earl’ for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games’ cultural program. The work, which premiered at Festival 2018 saw three life-sized puppets captivate audiences of all ages. Agnes and Earl are a married pair of advancing years. They mingled with festival-goers alongside their dog, Snoopy.
“I wanted to explore the possibilities around creating a work about intimacy; about the microscopic and seemingly invisible language that exists between creatures who love each other, a language that rarely involves words,” Lisa told We Are Gold Coast.
“We wanted to see how that ‘bubble of intimacy’ would or could exist in an open air, wider world that was as busy and energised as Festival 2018.”
“I was very fortunate to have a team of creative collaborators across the development and rehearsal processes that were both willing and curious to step into that space with me.”
The puppets, as well as being life-sized are also very lifelike. Lisa says that the reactions to Agnes and Earl and Snoopy were quite extraordinary. Even during rehearsals in parks or on the beachfront, people would stop, curious to know more.
Lisa Smith
Snoopy
Agnes
Agnes and Earl appeared on seven of the eleven days of Festival 2018 and engaged with people both in that cultural space and as they transited between sporting events.
“We found our audiences to be uniformly warm, delighted and willing to interact.”
Lisa said the GENERATE program was a marvellous catalyst for local artists to create new work for the Commonwealth Games. The three-year, three-stage initiative brought together some of the city’s most talented emerging artists specifically to develop content for the GC2018 arts and cultural program. It’s part of a larger initiative which saw some $7 million invested into the local arts sector through the City’s Accelerated Cultural Development Program over the past four years.
In total, ten Gold Coast artists participated in Generate – the largest program of its kind for the City – helping to transform the Gold Coast arts and culture scene well beyond 2018.
“I loved the creative license we were entrusted with,” Lisa said, “but also the opportunity to connect and collaborate with some of the finest artists currently working in this city. There is an emboldened sense of community that has been born and enlivened by these programs.”
“There is fantastic work being created here, and funding initiatives and support networks made available through City of Gold Coast make it far more possible for us to continue creating, expanding and taking that work out into the wider world.
“A life in the arts is challenging for a variety of reasons, but having the support and belief of your city makes a massive difference.”
Lisa said that the ‘Agnes and Earl’ puppets, created by Chris Lane and Snoopy, created by Anna Straker may go on vacation soon.
“We have lots of ideas for the future of Agnes, Earl and Snoopy,” she said. “These characters are Gold Coast residents, so it would be interesting to take them ‘on holidays’ to other locations.”
“We are interested in exploring opportunities at other festivals, and are also developing ideas around something more immersive that would see audiences invited to interact with them on their home turf.”
Agnes & Earl
Until that happens, Lisa is busy with other White Rabbit Theatre Ensemble projects as well as her own directorial practice. She’s directing ‘The Woman in Black’ which has its season at HOTA, Home of the Arts in early October and that involves recruiting Youth Associate positions for young and emerging artists to be mentored by professional lighting designers, stage managers and producers.
“This play is dark and shadowy and intended to frighten, and we have some great ideas to bring this creepy ghost story to life,” Lisa said. “It’s going to be a goosebump-inducing night in the theatre and I think Gold Coast audiences are going to love it!”
Alongside that work, White Rabbit Theatre Ensemble is in the early creative stages of a brand new collaborative work born out of energy around the #metoo movement and discussions about autonomy.
“So far we have a team of ten creative women who will create a new work that we feel is both important and timely,” Lisa said.
“We have actors, dancers, stunt women, musicians, cabaret performers and arts therapists in our team, and the collective energy and experience these women bring makes such a beautiful space to explore and create in.”
“We are already so energised by making a space where the focus is women’s voices and our experience; when it comes to the resulting production, our entire team will be women. I truly believe it’s going to be something really special.”
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‘The Woman in Black has its season at HOTA – Home Of The Arts’ outside stage in intimate mode from Wednesday 3 October – Monday 8 October. Get times and ticket options here. To find out more about casting and Creative Associate opportunities for ‘The Woman in Black, visit HOTA’s website.
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Generate is a City of Gold Coast initiative through the Regional Arts Development Fund and a partnership between the Queensland Government and the City to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland. The Queensland Government also supported Generate through the GC2018 Arts and Cultural Program.
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