Nothing lost in translation

Nothing lost in translation

Directing the Seymour Centre’s latest production Hilda is no walk in the park for Jonathan Ward. This taut psychological thriller comes from a great French tradition of theatre that intertwines elements of dark comedy and political allegory.

The play is based around husband Franck, who sends his wife Hilda to work as nanny for a well-to-do socialist Mrs Lemarchand.

It’s rooted in real human experience and emotion, told in a way which is theatrical in the best sense. The play starts with Mrs Lemarchand choosing her new nanny based solely on the nanny’s name, Hilda, Ward told Sydney Star Observer.

The beginning of the piece is playful and sexy and often very funny. As the play progresses, it gets darker and more chilling -” Mrs Lemarchand turns into more and more of a desperate housewife, willing to do anything in order to find love of any kind. And Franck is forced to ask what he’s willing to sell in order to survive.

The play comes from a great French tradition of theatre of the absurd. It is set in France, but we’re performing it with Australian accents and a new Australian translation.

This play is one of the hardest I’ve ever directed because it’s not like watching people sit around in their kitchen talking, Ward said.

Hilda is like life, only heightened, and finding a way to reach those heights and still feel true is a great challenge. When I go to the theatre I don’t want to see something I could see walking down the street. I want an experience which shows me the world in a new way.

Plus, the playwright didn’t include any stage directions at all, so we have to be like detectives, figuring out everything about the play solely from the words the characters speak.

After a sold-out season at the Tap Gallery, the play will take the stage from Tuesday 16 September until Saturday 11 October at the Seymour Centre.

info: Tickets for Hilda start at $25. Bookings on 9351 7940 or www.seymourcentre.com.au.

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