We talk to Standstill Director Anders Falstie-Jensen to find out more about the performance and what to expect from three performers on three treadmills!
Standstill was created for a fringe season, but has become one of the most critically acclaimed shows to date from The Rebel Alliance. Has that changed the play (or performers) in any way?
The most significant change is that this season features an entirely new cast who all have brought a lot great new ideas to the treadmills. I always find it utterly fascinating to see how completely different actors can approach the same material.
For me of course, the fringe season was very much about just getting the show up. Now, I’ve had more time to think about what the show is actually about (!) and to do some tweaking here there, not to mention work on a lot of details that I simply didn’t have time to focus on the first time around - it was a sprint to the finishing line just getting the show ready in time.
Standstill is reputed to be thought-provoking, what message would you like Q audiences to take home from the performance?
Hmmmm, I’m not much of a message guy. I think the play offers plenty of food for thought and audiences can draw their own conclusions.
Which character in Standstill do you identify with the most and why?
With the exception of the dastardly Bad Boy Billy Bob, I identify with some aspects of all them. They all have some valid points I think. There’s one particular runner though who I do identify quite strongly with - but I won’t say who. HA!
Besides sweaty performers slogging it out on treadmills for an hour(!), tell us what else could possibly surprise us about the play?
I think – hope - that people will be surprised by how funny and unpredictable it is. It is quite a wild ride, that show…
Also the majority of the play is inspired by true stories and some people might be surprised to find out just how is true. It’s a whole lot more than you think - it’s a friggin’ crazy world out there.
But apart from that, really the performers are what I hope will blow people away. To watch them run, sprint, walk, crawl is just spellbinding. It’s pretty full-on to perform while being on the move, so to speak. Every rehearsal they just continue to impress me with how they manage to navigate themselves on those treadmills.
What is the most surprising or inspiring feedback that you have received from the audience following a performance?
Someone said ‘I should probably be really depressed now, but somehow I just feel really uplifted and energised’. I thought that was pretty cool.
Someone else said to me that she’d be thinking about it for more than a week after she came to see the performance. I don’t know if that’s good or bad though - I hope it’s good. She seemed in good spirits when she told me that.
