What can you tell me about Three?
Three is a beautiful show about three neighbours, Ida, Jaanvi and Ralph. It explores their relationships with their grandchildren and looks at themes of ageing, cultural heritage, family and intergenerational wisdom. Using expressive mask, delicate puppetry and cinematic shadow play, everyday domestic scenes transform into moments of magic and poignancy. Rather than focus on the negatives of ageing, Three, is about how a life lived in full can bring richness, whether you are 7 or 70.
Three is a beautiful show about three neighbours, Ida, Jaanvi and Ralph. It explores their relationships with their grandchildren and looks at themes of ageing, cultural heritage, family and intergenerational wisdom. Using expressive mask, delicate puppetry and cinematic shadow play, everyday domestic scenes transform into moments of magic and poignancy. Rather than focus on the negatives of ageing, Three, is about how a life lived in full can bring richness, whether you are 7 or 70.
What inspired you to write this production?
We started developing Three back in 2023. We were just re-emerging from the lockdowns and it was a very weird time where we were all separated, particularly from our families. We lost so many of the older generation during this time, including one of our co-ad’s Nan. Over the past few years, we’ve also seen the nature of our own relationships with grandparents change; older age, sickness, our parents becoming grandparents etc. This spurred us on to continue exploring how these relationships with the older generation can shape us.
What is your writing process like when you are writing a piece?
A lot of research goes into my writing process for shows and it’s often non-linear and sometimes a case of absorption over a long period. Three was like this. The process was a combination of meeting people, my own, and the creative teams’ lived experiences and a bit in between. During the development phase we ran lots of community workshops with older adults and this was really eye-opening. The joy and life was brimming, they were lovely spaces to be a part of, so a lot of this is reflected in the show. Ida, Jaanvi and Ralph are not biographical but more of an amalgamation of things we’ve encountered along the way.
How do you approach scripting for puppets?
People often ask me this because our work is so visual. And it’s true, the classic idea of a “script” doesn’t really apply in this kind of writing. Three is also entirely non-verbal so that’s even more of the case here. Much to my co-ad’s dismay, I often “write” in pictures and let’s just say my drawing isn’t the best! But it serves a purpose because it acts as a way to show them what I mean and i’m very lucky that they then have the foresight to help make this a reality. I have a really pictorial brain so I think mostly in pictures and moving image, a bit like silent movies. I also write in action too, which works for puppetry (and mask), as it’s the action of the puppet that has to communicate the thought, feeling or emotion for the character. I think that’s one of the hardest translations to make but if you can crack it, it’s often more powerful and deeply felt by an audience.
You use the universal themes of life, loss and connection in this piece, how much of personal lived experience shape this work?
The universal aspect of theatre and live performance is what connects me to it most. I don’t believe there’s a single other medium out there that can harness this connection in the same way. To that end, I think personal experience always shapes the work we do and it has to because we are making work for a human audience. In Three, it’s not biographical but it’s most definitely shaped by our own experiences and I think that willingness for us to engage with it in the work itself, is also what encourages our audiences to engage with it, when watching. It’s an open hand that says, here’s what we think and feel about it, now we want to know how you feel.
How does this production fit in with the ethos of Smoking Apples Theatre as a company?
As a company, we make work about complex subject matter and Three is no different. The themes of the show; ageing, isolation, family, cultural heritage and legacy are multi-layered and intertwined with many other things. For me, that’s what being human is and puppetry and in this case, mask, has a beautiful way of being able to explore that. It’s like that feeling of just not being able to describe something with words, puppetry and mask have a way for us to express that. Every gesture and detail carries weight, which encourages a new kind of empathy and imagination from the audience.
What is that moment like when you first get to see the script come to life?
Ah, it’s so special, as close to real life magic as you can get for me! Ida, Jaanvi and Ralph have lived rent free in my head for so long, actually way longer than even 2023, so to see them realised, it’s just incredible. For me, it’s also about seeing the script living and breathing, with the masks, with the puppets, with the incredible set, with the detailed action from the performers, with every step. I love being surprised by new additions too, that the direction and performers bring to the table, and thinking “yes, that is so Ida!” or “Ralph would 100% do that!”
How do you blend the roles of co-director and script writer?
It feels fairly straightforward to me as one is very much about envisioning (writing) and the other is very much about realising (co-director). In the writing space, I try to set myself free from the practicalities of how things might be achieved. Of course, it’s helpful to keep those things in mind and I spent years performing (and still occasionally do!) so I think that is always in the back of my mind but I often just sit in the imagined space, where anything is possible - it’s lovely! When im co-directing, it’s then about realising those things and making them work. It’s about sculpting the work so that the meaning is clearly communicated and most importantly, making sure it reaches the audience. Many of the best-laid script ideas go out of the window in the rehearsal room, because they don’t translate so well in practice.
What was the first piece of theatre you saw that had a big impact on you?
I remember seeing Complicite’s Mnemonic at quite a young age and it was the first time i’d ever seen anything like it. The visual storytelling, the intertwining narratives and structure of the whole show was completely mesmerising and this really sparked my imagination in terms of what was possible. I loved that it unapologetically borrowed from all different forms; theatre, dance, art, photography, cinema and even academia, and somehow, managed to make it all work.
What keeps you inspired?
I love people and am continually fascinated by them, and subsequently human nature. So, for me, keeping inspired is about giving myself time to engage with people, to stop and chat, to observe and watch. This often looks like travelling to different countries and understanding different cultures but can also just as easily take place on my doorstep.
I love people and am continually fascinated by them, and subsequently human nature. So, for me, keeping inspired is about giving myself time to engage with people, to stop and chat, to observe and watch. This often looks like travelling to different countries and understanding different cultures but can also just as easily take place on my doorstep.
What do you hope someone takes away from seeing Three?
I hope that the audience leaves Three feeling inspired to live life in full. Wherever you are on your timeline; your hopes, dreams and desires can still be fulfilled.
Where can audiences see the work?
Three will be premiering this Autumn at three venues (details below) and it will be undertaking a wider tour in 2026.
● 22nd October - EM Forster Theatre, Tonbridge https://emftheatre.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173661
● 28th & 29th October - BEAM, Hertford https://purchase.beamhertford.co.uk/EventAvailability?EventId=109201&ref=bookNow&scroll=timeAndDates
● 4th - 7th November - Quarterhouse, Folkestone https://www.creativefolkestone.org.uk/whats-on/three/
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