Touring the theatrical: The Dark Mirror

“It’s been an interesting and really valuable journey for us,” Project Manager Aislinn Ryan says as we sit down to talk about touring The Dark Mirror: Zender’s Winterreise. Directed by Netia Jones and with Ian Bostridge as the work’s protagonist, this theatrical production integrates film, projections and traditional design with Hans Zender’s 1993 ‘composed interpretation’ of Schubert’s song cycle. Since its premiere at the Barbican, London in May 2016, The Dark Mirror has toured to Taiwan, Australia, and the US, and this September it travels to Shanghai for two final performances at the Shanghai Grand Theatre.

How did it all come about? “Netia and Ian had worked together previously on her production of Curlew River, which Askonas Holt had toured to the US in 2014,” Aislinn recalls. “Following the success of Curlew River, Netia and Ian wanted to create something new together and, as Ian is the work’s most iconic living interpreter, Winterreise seemed like an obvious choice. Because Askonas Holt had been involved with Curlew River, and we represent Ian, it seemed like a natural fit for us to be involved if the production were to tour.”

With a 24-piece chamber orchestra, complete with several unusual instruments (including wind machines, melodicas and sandpaper blocks), a large set and countless technical elements, it could have been quite a daunting project for the Askonas Holt team. “This multifaceted project is highly technical and had been created specifically for the Barbican stage, so we then had to figure out how to transfer it to a brand new venue in Taichung that no-one had previously visited.”

As with any touring project, different venues and different cities can pose certain challenges. Add to that working with a different orchestra in each venue (Britten Sinfonia in London, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra in Taichung, International Contemporary Ensemble in New York, West Australian Symphony Orchestra in Perth and Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra for this year’s performances), and travelling with a large set, and this project certainly sounds on the more challenging end of the spectrum. “Even though it looks like quite a simple production, it takes four days to build the set,” Aislinn says, “and even though Ian’s the only performer, you’ve got the orchestra involved, a touring production team of ten people; and at least twice as many local crew to coordinate.”

Naturally, when Netia first designed the production, she did so with the Barbican Theatre stage in mind: a 16-metre slanted ramp extends right from one side of the stage to the other, reaching a top height of three metres, behind which sits a gigantic screen for the projections. In Taichung, the stage was much smaller than in London, so the orchestra – who in London were positioned stage right – were moved to a raised orchestra pit in the centre of the production, changing the overall aesthetic as well as the practicalities of communication between Ian and the conductor. In Perth, the production was mounted in a concert hall and not a theatre, which required certain additional preparations: “We had to create a fake proscenium, and they had balconies all the way round which had to be blacked out. They even had to get some professional abseilers in to help secure the set!”

Taichung had the additional challenge of a language barrier. One of the many integral parts of the design were the surtitles, embedded into the projections and carefully designed with a unique font. But in English. Not to mention the language barrier on the ground, between the touring crew and the venue’s local crew. “We had to have the surtitles translated into Mandarin and Netia meticulously crafted these into the design. And the touring party had to come up with their own little language and key words to communicate with the Taiwanese crew.”

The orchestra itself is also very much part of the production: “You get this whole post-Weimar period vibe from the production” says Aislinn. “Netia had the orchestra in 1930s-style wigs, costumes and make up, they’re sat on 1930s bentwood chairs, and they were very much an integral part of the performance, which is a very different approach for a symphony orchestra!” But cultural differences and the fact the tour was using local orchestras in each city meant the costumes had to change in Taichung: “we brought with us brunette wigs, which wouldn’t necessarily work for the Asian players. So, Taichung had to invest in their own wigs, reminiscent of 1930s Asian style. They looked amazing, and really took that whole element of the production seriously.”

Ian – who is widely thought to be the greatest living interpreter of Schubert’s Winterreise and whose book on the work has been translated into 12 languages and won numerous awards – described Netia’s production as “not an avant garde assault or a confection of rebarbative modernism” in an article for The Guardian. “Rather it is a work that offers us a conversation – and sometimes a confrontation – between the past and the present.”

How would Aislinn describe the work? “It’s an amazing piece. There are so many facets to it that it cuts across various genres – multimedia, theatre and opera. It’s a truly unique production. And Ian’s performance is riveting. It’s dark, bleak and unsettling, but utterly brilliant. For audience members it’s a completely different experience from attending a recital performance of Schubert’s Winterreise. And, for me, overseeing the international touring of this piece has been an incredible experience.”

Coming back to the impact of the project on the Askonas Holt team, Aislinn says, “It’s given us a good grounding for all of our work with special projects – such as Joyce DiDonato’s In War & Peace, Magdalena Kožená’s flamenco tour – and means the team is really starting to get used to doing a wider variety of things, rather than just standard orchestral or classical ballet touring. It’s added another string to our bow in terms of what’s achievable on tour.”