Past Event
Filmed over eight years, Stage Changers is an observational documentary that follows the brilliant, young theatre company, The Last Great Hunt, from near obscurity to international success and their opportunity to make their first large-scale festival work. Stage Changers will be screened in the Campus Centre Cinema, directly prior to The Last Great Hunt's performance of Lé Nør [The Rain] on Friday 5th May. Directed by Ella Wright.
A film about a team of exceptionally creative artists pouring their whole hearts into their biggest and most daring project yet. The Last Great Hunt are young, passionate theatre makers who have just been presented with an opportunity that could change their lives forever. UK theatre powerhouse Underbelly have invited them to pitch a large-scale work for investment. This group of aspirational artists have always been driven by hopes and dreams, but their dreams have never been this big.
They take the idea for their new show, Lé Nør [The Rain], to Edinburgh to pitch to Ed Bartlam, co-founder of Underbelly. Back at home, Perth Festival Artistic Director Wendy Martin is also interested in coming on board and a commission from her would see the team premiere at their first prestigious international arts festival. However, these major investors want to be clear on the narrative and story before signing off on the investment. Putting all of their resources into Lé Nør, they won’t have any other work to perform for next season if this show doesn’t go ahead. In a race against time, they are forced to commit to Perth Festival without the Underbelly deal in place, and, when the Underbelly deal doesn’t work out, The Last Great Hunt are painted into a corner: having no choice but to make their biggest ever show, for their first ever major festival, for a fraction of what it should cost.
Rehearsals lead straight into the premiere season and it’s a five-week, tech-filled, 17-person pressure cooker. Visually, the show is starting to look stunning, but as opening night draws closer the mismatch between high ambitions, extraordinary innovations and inadequate budget has created a cocktail for disaster. The team have worked for years on Lé Nør, and the day before premiere, it looks like they might not make it. Chaos ensues and friendships are tested as they wrestle the wildest dreams of their lives onto the stage.