In November this year, King Kong the Musical will thump down onto Broadway. In his role as Kong & Aerial Movement Director, NIDA’s Head of Movement, Gavin Robins, will be responsible for conducting the giant ape’s actions as well as those of the performers around him.
Photo: King Kong the Musical, Melbourne 2013
In November this year, King Kong the Musical will thump down onto Broadway. In his role as Kong & Aerial Movement Director, NIDA’s Head of Movement, Gavin Robins, will be responsible for conducting the giant ape’s actions as well as those of the performers around him.
Sydney-based entertainment production house Global Creatures first opened the show in 2013 at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre. For Kong’s second outing, the venue is New York’s Broadway Theatre.
‘It’s exciting because we’re in a Broadway theatre, and with that comes all the rich history of performing arts and theatre,’ said Gavin. ‘The musical has been really well received and won a Helpmann award for outstanding theatrical achievement for the Melbourne season, so now the challenge is to make it even better for Broadway.’
Gavin is one of the original creatives who’ve been reengaged from Melbourne to work on this show, along with NIDA graduate Peter England (Design, 1994), who is the Set and Projection Designer, and Creature Designer, Sonny Tilders, who created international success Walking With Dinosaurs and who previously worked with Gavin on the hit live arena production How to Train Your Dragon.
The huge one-tonne, five-metre tall King Kong creature works using a combination of animatronics and puppetry.
‘I did a lot of research into Silverback and ape movement,’ said Gavin. ‘There are limitations to the machinery, rigging and automation. So in a sense you have to work with those to make something feel authentic. We also used a lot of pre-visualisation technology, which enabled us to look at the actual creature and what’s possible,’ he said.
Gavin is responsible for fusing the ferocious movement of Kong with the puppet operators who double as performers, directing the movement of multiple people.
Photo: Gavin on set during rehearsals
‘There are ten people who are exposed puppeteers: three on the voodoo control which is basically the facial features, controlling the movement of the head neck and shoulders. And then there’s a show caller and an automation operator,’ said Gavin. ‘In total, there’s 15 people who have to come together to make a cohesive performance.’
‘There’s quite a lot different aerial work involved. In Melbourne, we had a lot of acrobats from Cirque du Solei, as people are launching themselves off Kong.’
As the lead character, King Kong will be central to the performance, but according to Gavin that doesn’t mean he’ll steal the show.
‘The beauty of puppetry is being able to focus on the puppeteer and the mechanics of the operation as well as letting go and focusing on suspending disbelief and immersing in the pure theatricality of it all.’
‘It’s interesting trying to make it different from film, because you can’t really compete with film and so I was always fascinated with the challenge of how you bring a creature like that to life on stage, while keeping it theatrical. For this to happen successfully, it needs to celebrate the integration of new technology but also the evocative experience of live performance. That’s what I think we’ve achieved with it. We’re celebrating the physical artists performing as much as Kong himself and that way we tend to see ourselves in Kong.
‘The company who work on Kong are an extension of his energy, so when he’s fierce, they’re fierce, when he’s curious, so are they.
‘There’s a moment when the lead character Anne touches Kong in a tender way to sooth him after he’s saved her from a cobra and been injured as a result. Kong looks at Anne curiously and all of the puppeteers/performers lean out from behind Kong and share that curiosity and then duck back in.’
Gavin believes that by connecting with the industry at such depth he can and does enrich the learning experiences of his students at NIDA.
‘I’m able to see firsthand the latest technology that they’re currently using in the industry. I’ve already lectured MFA (Directing) students and BFA (Design for Performance) students on this, and some of the technical students have seen the work and are interested in automation and large-scale puppetry. Some of the MFA (Directing) students may also be coming over to New York to observe the work.
‘Another interesting aspect of this is that when I’m working overseas on an audition panel for a show like this, it provides insight into the kind of skills and preparation that the best performers in the world bring to an audition, and I’m able to bring that back here use that as a benchmark for NIDA students. We want them to have that same level of focus, commitment and preparation as the top people.
‘For me I’m learning about the industry all the time and I can then share that knowledge back with our current students and hopefully involve them in future productions,’ he finished.
Learn more about NIDA’s BFA and MFA courses at Open Day on Saturday 16 June. Register here: nida.edu.au/courses/open-day
