Lu Kemp is currently directing The Arabian Nights which opens at the Tricycle Theatre on 30th November 2012. Lu is Associate Artist with the award-winning company Inspector Sands for whom she recently directed Mass Observation at the Almeida Summer Festival.
She previously directed Inspector Sands' If That's All There Is, winner of the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe Prize 2009. Lu created One Thousand Paper Cranes, which was part of the Made In Scotland Showcase 2011 and will be appearing at the New York Victory in 2013. Other recent work includes: Jan Sobrie's Titus, Edinburgh International Children's Festival 2012, John Donnelly's Encourage the Others for the Almeida and Carl Grose's The Thirteen Midnight Challenges of Angelus Diablo for the RSC at Latitude. Lu will be directing Arabian Nights for the Tricycle Theatre later this year.
As a dramaturg Lu regularly works with physical theatre and dance companies. She will be collaborating on Imogen Knight's new dance piece, winner of the CFE Award (Sadlers Wells and Company of Angels), in January 2013. Lu chats to West End Frame about directing the first ever festive show at the Tricycle theatre, why The Arabian Nights appeals to all the family and what makes the show stand out from the rest...
How are rehearsals for The Arabian Nights going?
It’s a fantastic cast of very inventive people. So it’s fun but also challenging because the show is a series of stories within stories, where we switch between three different worlds – the frame story, the world of the stories and the stories themselves.
What is the show all about?
The show is about a young woman called Scheherezade who sets out to put an end to the bloodshed in her country. Having been bitterly betrayed by his wife, the King is taking a new bride every night and killing them in the morning. Scheherezade volunteers to marry the King, keeping him entertained with new stories night after night, and leaving the stories unfinished in the morning so that if he wishes to hear the end of the story he must let her live another day…
Is it exciting to be directing the first ever festive show at the Tricycle theatre?
There is a great energy around the Tricycle at the moment due to the new artistic directorship of Indhu Rubasingham. Red Velvet the inaugural show has been selling out, and the staff at the theatre seem excited about the venue and the future. So yes!
What makes The Arabian Nights so different from other shows?
It will be an entertaining visually exciting show for the festive period. But it’s also a show with something to say – it is about taking a stand and using your imagination to challenge the hearts and minds of others when you see something amiss in the world.
Why should families come and see The Arabian Nights instead of a traditional Christmas pantomime?
It should be just as fun, but hopefully give you more to think about on your way home…
Does the show appeal to all the family?
Yes. We’ve set the minimum age limit at 10 years old, because the frame story itself is quite dark, and because the nights are stories which embrace all parts of humanity – the dark and the light. But the show will appeal to adults and children alike. There is joy and silliness running through it, and ultimately it's about hope and the possibility of change.
What are the cast like to work with?
Eleven geniuses.
What advice would you give to any aspiring actors?
What matters is what you bring to the table. If you have your own ideas and a strong sense of the sort of theatre you want to make, it will come to you.
What is next for you?
An adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean’s The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish for the National Theatre of Scotland.
Finally, what would you like to say to everyone who has supported you throughout your career?
Are you mad?
The Arabian Nights runs at the Tricycle Theatre between 30th November 2012 and 12th January 2013. Visit www.tricycle.co.uk for more information and to book tickets.
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