• 
• 

Sea, the newest work from physical theatre company Red Leap, premieres this week at the Maidment Theatre in Auckland.  Renee Liang caught up with performer Min Kim.

* * *

Sea, a meditation on humans’ relationship with the sea, has been years in the making and, like Red Leap’s other works, features an ensemble of nine skilled performers from many different performance traditions. Starting with a fascination for the humpback whale and its migration songs, the work has evolved into a story of a man, a turtle, an island – and the sea. Renee Liang interviews performer Min Kim.

How did you come to join Red Leap Theatre?

I was introduced to Red Leap Theatre Company through director Ben Crowder; he has been a great mentor to me.

The work is physically and creatively demanding - what's the skill set you bring to the group?

I bring my childish and playful qualities so I can have fun with the rest of the group.

Have you been involved in the development of Sea?  Can you describe the process?

I have been involved with the development of Sea since the early workshops at the start of 2013 which was then followed by three showings to various audiences in September.  We have been training in acrobatics, silk, puppetry, harness work and contemporary dance so we can incorporate these in our devising which has been a very inspiring process.

What's been your favourite part of the development process?

I have enjoyed having the freedom to create new theatre but if you ask me my favourite then it will be meeting such a talented bunch.

What have you learnt?

I have learnt that there are so many different ways of telling a story. We create an atmosphere of individual moments on stage with visual elements, sound and movement to communicate to our audience.

What research did you do for your role?

Survival skills. I learnt how to make drinking water in various situations and read news articles about people who survived months and years out in the sea. I also watched a lot of documentaries from the BBC and animations until I could speak fish.

Why do you make theatre?

Theatre to me is an intimate place where you can live and breathe in that same moment and space with an audience. My goal is to always be inspired and inspire others.

Tell us about your other creative projects. Anything coming up?

I am training with John Bolton after the show in March where I will be studying Clown, Buffon, Vaudeville and also Shakespeare in devising. I'm really looking forward to being in class with John.