ANDREW Buckland is undressing, preparing for his performance in Crapshoot .
ANDREW Buckland is undressing, preparing for his performance in Crapshoot .
When the physical theatre guru speaks, he smiles and has a twinkle in his eye. Taking up acting as a career is not a prerequisite for Buckland family members – so far, three of the five Bucklands have followed the spotlight onto the stage. Andrew grins affectionately. “I’ve been involved in theatre since I was 21. It just happened to rub off on the family.”
One son, Matthew, is involved with the Mail and Guardian website and, Andrew adds proudly, is the father of his one-year-old grandchild. Another son, Luke, lectured philosophy at Wits and is currently studying educational psychology at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Luke plans to teach science to schoolchildren. But the Buckland parents failed with their third son. Andrew claims that he and his wife, Janet, persistently discouraged Daniel from pursuing a career in physical theatre, saying that it is not as glamorous and lucrative as is perceived. But he’s back at Festival this year, and works in theatre between Festivals.
When it comes to the array of Buckland performances this year, dance aficionados or the just plain adventurous are spoilt for choice. One way or another, these three Bucklands are associated with Dr Collinger’s Funeral , Love Amongst The Bones , Eco-Wolf & The Three Pigs , Crapshoot and Voetsek!
Dr Collinger’s Funeral is an electrifying part comedic, part tragic piece of physical theatre which combines an eclectic range of music and delves into the themes of love, death, cold and thirst. The play grapples with issues of human suffering, a need to belong, and a desire for normality and space of one’s own. Buckland says, “This and my other pieces of theatre aim to emphasise the obscure, to clown, to tell stories. The dance moves and physicality merely enhances the performance.”
Love Amongst the Bones
Love Amongst The Bones is an actively charged whodunnit piece of physical theatre. Buckland says: “It is pieces of theatre such as this one in which we strive to ensure the audience has a good time. We want audiences to think about the issues enacted on stage and to enjoy themselves. I can’t emphasise enough the power of joy as a way of addressing pain and fear.” We get introduced to a vibrant cast that includes rubbish dump scavengers and an almost bankrupt businessman who is indebted to Virgin Active, the medical aid company and a prostitute. It creatively explores the issues of tardy bureaucracy, love triangle-induced jealousy, murder and corruption, which have plagued society since time immemorial.
Crapshoot
With his new performance piece, Crapshoot , Buckland seems to be at the cutting edge of physical theatre. He says, “I’m aiming to create something unique, something audiences have never experienced before. Crapshoot integrates the improvised jazz of Rick van Heerden’s band, Random Planet, with physical theatre. Their attempt aims to create a new theatrical structure.
About his new physical theatre piece, Voetsek! , Buckland says it is currently a one-man show. “It’s still a baby piece. I plan on extending and developing it into a full length play for a future festival.”
Daniel Buckland is no stranger to children’s theatre. He has been involved in numerous pieces over the years, including Monster Investigators . He has, for this year’s Festival, successfully adapted the children’s classic The Three Pigs into Eco-Wolf & The Three Pigs . It’s a charming piece of music, song and dance that will enlighten little ones about the importance of nature conservation and the pollution threat of greed-driven industrialists. The audience participation and interactive nature of the performance keeps fidgeting and rowdy children riveted to their seats.
Andrew Buckland, who is now fully dressed and ready for Crapshoot , says he doesn’t believe the Buckland acting trio is necessarily at the cutting edge of South African physical theatre. “We do it because we love it. We are lovers of the performance arts. We love the whole phenomenon of theatre because it acts as a medium to discuss issues which people find disturbing, embarrassing and uncomfortable. We use theatre to unite people and to help them acknowledge their fears,” he says.
Andrew’s advice to budding physical theatre students: “Train, train and train, never stop training! You can only train yourself. It’s a life long journey.”
