Clare Kerrison

Clare Kerrison talks about four years working at BATS Theatre as Business Manager, her return to the stage to play Hedda Gabler, why she has been drawn to the role since she was 17 and how her ‘shady ancestor’ fuelled this new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic.

Kerrison says leaving BATS has allowed her to concentrate on her own theatre work again.

“It's a full-on and fulfilling role where arts administrators are developed as much as the work in the theatre itself is developed. It's part of the reason BATS has flourished for 20 years. It's time for the next young, budding and energetic arts administrator to earn their wings and serve their generation. It's time for me to see what comes next.”

Hedda Gabler is at BATS Theatre in Wellington until May 2.

During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?
The quiet ones.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?
Colourful and spacious with obscene corners.

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?
The surprise and transcendence of a work or a moment that is greater than the sum of brilliant individuals.

How does your environment affect your work?
The small office, the flow of shows and people at BATS Theatre - it makes me a multi-tasker and a quick thinker. That’s probably why I enjoy the quiet moments so much where details are perfected and thought can be deepened.  It’s about balance though  - I’d be chasing the flow of human craziness if I worked in a quiet space all day…

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details? 
Both!! Both are vital.

What's your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?
Serve the work and look after your people,

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?
Love Possibly – a totally improvised chick flick.. Wellington Improv Troupe learned how to make a this long form improvisation by doing it together. Our Improv got better. Our storytelling got better. We got funnier. And the audience loved it.

You have been drawn to Hedda since you were 17, why?
I was drawn to Hedda because I sympathised with her suppression of her true self (being a teenager I was, of course, 'out of place' in society just like Hedda!), but in Hedda's case it leads to tragic consequences - so is a bit of a lesson in living courageously. At least that's the way I see it now. In placing her in the modern, 'liberated' world as we have done with this adaption, we've removed the interpretation that she's trapped solely by society's demands and we see her trapped just as much by her own fears. Hedda is extreme of course but really - how many of us are too afraid to follow our heart's desire or our dreams? How many of us are too afraid to face the consequences of living the way we really wish to live?

How did you adapt the story – tell us about your ‘shady ancestor.'
The story was adapted on the improvisation floor after meticulous study of our characters and the plot and character turning points of several translations of the original Ibsen. That's why we needed a director like David Lawrence - with his understanding of story, the classics and playmaking. His dramaturgy and his late night script work after our improvisations has been brilliant. My ancestor is the lawyer, Hugh Ross. Killed a man in a duel in Wellington, February 1844. We wanted to be true to Ibsen so needed to justify Hedda having dueling pistols in modern day NZ. So I piped up about my shady colonial roots (embezzlement, duel, marriage, inheritance and suicide) to show that Hedda could have inherited some pistols in NZ.  We included some of it in the prologue to show that 'scandal' runs in Hedda's family. Scandal was one of Ibsen's personal horrors and is a theme in many of his plays.

How much work, time and research went into it?
Quite a bit of research - especially from David and our production manager, Mel Duncan. I credit my Aunt for the research into my own family tree. But we all brought our history and background with us into this adaption which is uniquely NZ. For example: Asa and Tupe are cousins and they brought their beautiful Samoan warmth into their onstage sibling relationship. You don't expect to see that in a classic Ibsen but it places us so firmly in Wellington today that it's easy for the audience to recognise where they are.

It marks a return to acting for you.  Was it the role or leaving BATS that made this possible?
It was leaving BATS that made this possible. I've loved being in a position to give my business skills to BATS and the independent theatre industry but it was a conscious decision to put 'my own' theatre work on hold.  Pitching the show, just like every other practitioner, to BATS was bit daunting. Thank goodness the idea was contemporary enough to get programmed!

Why are you leaving BATS (where Clare has been Business Manager for four years)?
It's time. It's a full-on and fulfilling role where arts administrators are developed as much as the work in the theatre itself is developed. It's part of the reason BATS has flourished for 20 years. It's time for the next young, budding and energetic arts administrator to earn their wings and serve their generation. It's time for me to see what comes next.

What were some of the challenges and rewards during your time at BATS?
Every single show (60 a year) and each and every one of the practitioners who sweated and learned and created magic while I was there. That's my reward. And each and every fresh graduate who had their first full job in the bar or box office while I taught them everything I'd learned in corporate land - that was my reward.  Finding the money to install air conditioning. Leaving the systems better than the way I found them but with plenty of room for the next Business Manager to improve on!

What challenges does the theatre industry face – in Wellington and New Zealand?
Allowing itself to be relevant while staying true to the artform. It's a delicious challenge which I think some gorgeously talented people and companies are doing. Plus the constant challenge: to make a living from our artform.

What advice would you give to emerging theatre makers?
Be audacious. Don't do everything yourself - get help! Get your ideal team to work with you! Ask BATS for advice - especially about producing and marketing. Listen, learn, grow and be true to your vision. Yeah - I know those can look like contradictions. But the impossible is possible.

Who or what has inspired you recently? 
Lawrence Green.  His vision is to inspire greatness in others.  Just the fact that he sees the greatness is inspiring, let alone the tools he gave us for liberating our own creative leadership.

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you've chosen, what would it be? 
Indiana Jones. A cultural academic who gets their hands dirty. With great one liners. And a whip.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?
The King Country farm I grew up on.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?
On a naked dance floor. So the body can breathe.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?
A cape and wand, a hunched back, a wicked cackle and a story.

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given? 
‘I was a doctor once. I know what life and death looks like. This isn’t life and death.’

What's great about today?
It’s sunny, I’ve got coffee and I get to play Hedda Gabler today.

What’s your big idea for 2009? 
Complete some lifelong dreams (play Hedda Gabler, trek in Peru) and then free my mind to dream again…

• Hedda Gabler

  Directed by David Lawrence (A Renaissance Man, Henry V) and designed by Penny Angrik and Ulli Briese (2008 Chapman Tripp Award, Best Lighting Design for Metamophosis) the Wild Duck will use a symbolic set and physical performance styles to discover what traps Hedda in today's more liberal society.
  15 April-2 May (no show Sun/Mon) BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Terrace, Wellington
  book@bats.co.nz or 04 802 4175