Pair out to boost arts scene

Theatre, improvisation, yoga and more are combined in Body in Space, a couple hoping to make an impact in Nelson. Charles Anderson paid them a visit at Fairfield House.

When Dan Allan and Lisa Norriss decided to come to Nelson from Christchurch a few months ago, they did not bring much with them. As semi-professional actors, writers and directors, they didn't need to.

They had a case of theatre makeup and some masks, picked up from when their previous theatre company went to a festival in South America.

But now they have a new company and a new vision. It involves doing what they love and hoping the Nelson community enjoys their journey.

After building up their reputation in Christchurch – Allan as a talented improviser and actor and Norriss as an award-winning writer and director – it might seem strange to leave such a support network behind, to come somewhere new and, in effect, start again, but that has always been the plan.

"I suppose it is a strange time to do this but at the same time, you have to keep changing and evolving and developing what you do.

"Everything we did in Christchurch was training to do this," Allan says.

This is something of a "flight of fancy" for the pair – shifting from the community where they had worked for 11 years to a smaller community.

In Christchurch, Allan worked as a drama teacher at Christchurch Girls' High School and as a Court Jester at the Court Theatre. Norriss, an emerging writer, recently won a young playwrights award and had a recent teleplay produced by Maori Television.

They met during one of the many comedy revue shows Allan helped to put on at university. "As time went on, I got less involved in my degree and more involved in theatre," he says.

Allan was playing the little-known character of Terry the Terrorist, who was helping to put together an instructional video on the basics of the industry.

It may seem like a curious way to connect, but Norriss says she found him charming.

"But now that we are here, we want to create something high-quality for the community," she says. "We love theatre. This is what we do."

The last time they were in Nelson was to bring an original play, Isolation, to the now defunct Independent Theatre.

The play broke even but the theatre itself, eventually, did not. It is a spectre of Nelson's theatre scene that they are aware of.

"We just want to put on good-quality shows, and we hope the community gets behind it and goes with it," Norriss says. "We are doing our thing, and if people want to come, that's great, but we are doing it because we love it."

Body in Space is about more than just productions, the first of which will be a children's show, Alice in Wonderland. Allan and Norriss are already running theatre workshops at Fairfield House each week.

Allan says the classes are not only for those who might want to improve their theatre skills. They are also for those who might want to build more confidence, "or simply to just have just a lot of fun".

Improv is Allan's passion. He says it is an instant high that is driven by an ego forced to work in a team environment.

"You are on stage and you say something and get a laugh, and you just want more and more of it."

He intends to use his connections with the Court Theatre to help revamp the Theatresports scene in Nelson, especially in the region's secondary schools.

Norriss's passion, however, is yoga, and Body in Space is a blend of their respective passions – of what you might expect a theatre company to do but with a difference.

The two aspects are a natural fit, they say, especially considering their experimental theatre background, which relies so much on physical movement and learning how to interact with the space around you.

They feel lucky to have been embraced by Fairfield House, and venue manager Jo Say says Body in Space ticks many boxes.

"It is part of our brief to help promote the arts scene in Nelson, and what better way than to have people of Dan's and Lisa's calibre to help do it? It is a great space to work in," she says.

That is the feeling the pair now have. Allan and Norriss have already had their first rehearsals for Alice in Wonderland, and they feel as if they are interacting with their new space.

• For more information about the company's productions and workshops, see bodyinspace.co.nz, phone Daniel, 0212329422, or email dfallan@gmail.com.

• Alice in Wonderland, Fairfield House, April 12 and 13. Bookings: email bodyinspace@gmail.com.

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