Following its acclaimed premiere in 2021 at the Perth Festival, Barking Gecko’s production of “HOUSE” is set to make a welcome return to the stage in November.
Conceived by playwright Dan Giovannoni and Barking Gecko Theatre’s former artistic director Luke Kerridge, the new season of “HOUSE” will coincide with the release of an accompanying picture book published by Fremantle Press. The book is illustrated by Charlotte Lane, who is also the set & costume designer for the production.
“HOUSE” is a tale of belonging, following the story of Catheljin, ‘The Loneliest Girl in the World’, who discovers a house inhabited by an explorer named Elka and a friendly boy, Piotr. The house proves to be more than just a house, and Catheljin is taken on a voyage of self-discovery.
For Isaac Diamond, who returns – along with the original cast – as Piotr, it’s a thrill to enter the “HOUSE” all over again.
“It’s so awesome,” he says. “I think in Australia – and in Perth especially – if you’re lucky enough to do a production you sort of just do it once, and so I feel lucky and grateful to be doing it again, because it is special. I think it has the opportunity to reach each child or each person and affect them in a really cool way.”
“HOUSE” is suitable for ages eight and up, and Diamond has seen its potential to reach young, old and in-between from its previous run around Western Australia.
“One of the joys of theatre is that we’re in the same room as our audience, and so often in ‘HOUSE,’ something will happen on stage that will bring audible gasps or cheers or shocked astonishment from the audience,” he says. “And it’s such a joy to hear that because it just sort of spurs us on and lets us know, ‘Okay, this is working. We’ve got them.’
“There’s so much magic that we do on stage because the house comes alive and we make it fly and all these sorts of amazing things happen that would wow any audience, but I also think it’s such a joy to have that unabashed reaction from the kids that are there.”
Part of the appeal of “HOUSE” seems to be that there are aspects within the three characters for everyone to identify with.
“I think the main point of the show is to sort of be giving voice to everyone and to be giving voice to people who maybe are forgotten or left behind or pushed down, basically,” Diamond explains.
“So we’re trying to like lift up all voices, whether you’re a big person or a small person, or a loud person or a quiet person or any kind of person. The show is just trying to say, ‘You matter… Stick to it… We’ve got your back,’ and to spur everyone on in that way.”
Diamond revels in playing Piotr, stating that it’s one of the best characters he’s ever read.
“Piotr’s so funny, his dialogue is so dense with humour. He’s a very anxious, nervous little boy and he has real trauma in his life. Part of his backstory is that his whole village left him at the top of a mountain, and he was attacked by wolves. He was actually left a bit battered from that and he walks with a limp.
“I think that’s what’s awesome about Barking Gecko as well is that they’re not afraid to put these sort of darker and more real storylines into these characters.
“And from there he’s carrying around this trauma, but he just is so delightful to watch. He’s got quite a clownish energy on stage and just a heart of gold. He just wants to be everyone’s friend, which is why I think the characters in the show and the audiences fall in love with him, because he’s trying so hard to do the right thing, but also loves a rulebook and sticking to the rules.”
There’s more to the cast than the three human roles, however. The house not only provides a setting but is a character in and of itself.
“We bring the house to life,” Diamond reveals. “I suppose that means lots of things – and I don’t want to give any spoilers away – but the house definitely comes alive. We also refer to the house or talk to the house as if the house was a character and the house doesn’t answer us in English, but we sort of have an understanding of what [the] house is saying. Or at least Elka, who’s the oldest and the leader of [the] house, she knows what [the] house is saying and we definitely treat [the] house as if they are a fourth character in the show.”
A prequel to the original production, the “HOUSE” book will be available at all good bookstores from October onwards. The 2024 season of “HOUSE” run from November 1st-9th at the Octagon Theatre, University of Western Australia.
In the meantime, Diamond can’t wait for audiences to make “HOUSE” their home, at least for a little while.
“I think – and this is what happened the first time as well – I actually just want people to walk away feeling joy and feeling like they’ve been hugged,” he says, warmly. “You’ll walk away from ‘HOUSE’ and you might have laughed a little bit and you might have cried a little bit, but you’ll walk away feeling as though you’ve had a bit of a cuddle, a bit of a theatre cuddle, which is such a nice thing to be part of.
“I’ve never finished a ‘HOUSE’ show and gone, ‘I wish that could have been a bit better.’ I think it always hits and it always worked for audiences, which is so nice.”
Tickets for HOUSE are now on sale with an early bird offer available until August 18th. Full details via www.barkinggecko.com.au.