Director and AV Designer of Birdie Productions' THE LITTLE MERMAID Discuss the Production

This week audiences are invited to journey under the sea as Birdie Productions opens The Little Mermaid at the Bryan Brown Theatre in Bankstown. The show will run from 13 - 22nd April and stars Jaime Hadwen (Muriel's Wedding) as Ariel, Tom Ragen as Prince Eric, Michele Lansdown as Ursula and Julian Kuo as Sebastian.

Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen's most beloved stories and the classic animated film we all love so much, Disney's The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages. This fishy fable will capture your heart with its irresistible songs we have all grown up listening to, including Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl and Part of Your World.

Creative vision is crucial to the direction and execution of a show and Elle Zattera is at the helm of this production as Director. Elle wanted to find a way to keep the magic of The Little Mermaid alive on the Bryan Brown Theatre stage and found that collaborating with a local AV designer would help create this world. Isabella Spagnolo is an Animated Visuals designer from the Canterbury/Bankstown area and has enjoyed working with Birdie to bring this story to life.

We chatted with both Elle and Isabella to find out what the creative journey has been like for both of them.

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Elle Zattera- Director

What's it like directing such a well-known story from your childhood?

It has been wonderful! When Birdie Productions approached me to direct, my inner child would not let me turn this one down. The Little Mermaid is one of my all time favourite Disney stories. Working with Jaime (Hadwen) and the cast to bring this story to life has been an absolute dream.

What are some of your favourite moments from rehearsals so far?

When we pull together some of the most iconic moments from the story, whether that is watching Josh Ransom, our musical director, work with Jaime on her beautiful rendition of 'Part of your World' or working with the choreographer, Craig Nhobbs, to bring together the huge carnivale that is 'Under the Sea'

Can you tell us a bit about your creative concept?

Disney is bigger than life, so coming up with a way to keep the magic on the stage at The Bryan Brown Theatre was a challenge. We have collaborated with a local Canterbury Bankstown AV designer to create the animated world for us to play in. My main vision was to find the magic in simplicity. We have kept the design colourful and playful but I really wanted the story telling to be the main player in this show, which I think we have achieved!

What can audiences expect from your production?

A beautiful story of a young woman's determination to find a place where she belongs and true love, full of dancing, laughter and heart. It really is a show for young and old!

What would be your message to someone coming to see the show?

Prepare for dancing, colour, fun and all your favourite songs from The Little Mermaid and more!

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Isabella Spagnolo- Animated Visuals Designer

What's it like working on such a well-known story from your childhood?

It has been an incredible experience revisiting this story from my childhood that so many people hold dear. I've always been fascinated by the universality and didactic nature of storytelling and fairy-tales. I feel like they translate profound morals that can deeply resonate with people. I have vivid memories of reading a copy of Hans Christian Anderson's version as a kid; each page was adorned with mystical illustrations that gave a spectacular glimpse into an underwater world. I remember also watching Disney's version so many times and the 'Part of your World' sequence always captivated me. There's a pure sense of wonder that Ariel sees in the world and you can't help but embrace it when you see her character, it's so charming. This is an important theme for kids and adults alike, to never stop seeing the awe in the world. It was definitely a big responsibility to be a part of bringing this story to life. I wanted to pay homage to the original tale and capture that sense of charm and wonder with the digital sets.

What kinds of inspiration do you look to for your artwork and projections?

I always try to start from something real by studying actual environments first as this helps give the animated sets credibility even when they are stylised or exaggerated for a particular show. I took inspiration also from set designs of live productions I'd seen, particularly the ballet. Their intricate sets brought throne rooms and woodlands to life with pieces layered on the flies of the stage like a pop-up storybook. What really stood out to me in the productions I had seen was the incredible depth that was achieved through these very flat but also very detailed pieces layered to the audience's eye. The sets would add harmony by framing the stage and complimenting the performers rather than diverting attention. This became my goal for this production and I approached the digital sets very much from the same perspective as a set designer would. Every design decision was made to help convey the mood and to communicate the story for that particular scene. The spectacular, vibrant colours found in sea-life were particularly inspiring for my colour choices as well - under water creatures are definitely out of this world!

What has the journey been like for you creating the AV?

Creating the Animated Visuals for this production was a lot of fun. Taking the designs all the way from a small sketch of an idea in my little notebook to a fully realised digital set behind real actors on a real stage is surreal. I feel incredibly lucky to be working with such an enthusiastic and talented team that welcomed me with open arms. Elle Zattera our director and Rodney Bertram from Birdie Productions were so wonderful they gave me a lot of freedom to try new things and with their support we've been able to make the sets unique to this particular show. I think we have something special here and the audience will be able to experience a one of a kind visual feast in this version of the beloved musical.

What other work have you done and what are your plans for the future?

I've animated for the Sydney Vivid Festival and also for the University of Technology Sydney. I've recently completed my graduate, animated short film called 'Tied' and it's now taking a turn about the film festival circuit. So hopefully you'll be able to catch it at some film festivals here in Australia and also overseas very soon! In the spirit of brevity, my plans are to continue working with wonderful, passionate people and telling stories that inspire. I'd really love to be a part of growing animation here in Sydney and creating work in, with and about our local community here too. After my experience on this production though I'd definitely be keen to work on digital sets again and continue playing with just how far we can push the technology to help engage audiences in exciting, new ways.

In this digital age, we are moving away from scenic design into digitally designed sets for a lot of our more modern productions, can you tell us a little bit about why this is a good thing and how you came to be involved in doing this type of scenic design?

You're right, digital set design is definitely growing and it's a new tool to play with for live theatre production. As screens become more widely available and continue to improve technologically, more productions will be able to have a go at embracing digital sets. There are an increasing number of productions at the moment utilising digital sets as the core of their shows. Take 'Anastasia - The Musical' for example, they're using very dynamic sets with a lot of camera movement to help engage the audience in an exciting way. As with all new technologies though what is most important is how we use it and how it can allow designers to elevate the production. Set designers create depth behind the actors to form the story-world and digital sets are no different. Digital sets have infinite potential, there's really no physical limit to what worlds we can draw, design and build. They assist in immersing the audience even further by creating more depth to translate that sense of wonder that we all want to feel from a show, and this is an exciting prospect. In this particular production I worked closely with our brilliant set designer, Jordan Vassallo, from the beginning. The constant conversation has resulted in sets that are complex - physical and digital pieces that extend from one another all in the effort to further immerse the audience into the world. As an animator I'm familiar with how visuals can communicate and transcend barriers to truly transport people to another place. The team were looking for a traditional animator to help give the digital sets some charm and life. Animating sets was an interesting, new challenge for a character animator like myself. I felt there was only one way for me to approach it and that was to put all I knew about character into the designs and movement. It's a delicate balance though as the animation often needs to be subtle as to not distract from the actors on stage. Each of the sets in the production has an intention, a particular feeling that takes you into the story just as the performers do.

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Birdie Productions' The Little Mermaid will recreate the timeless magic of this classic Disney tale and is a show that the whole family will enjoy, so don't miss out, book your tickets now at www.birdieproductions.com.au and join in the under sea fun!

Photo Credit: Grant Leslie

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