Lindsey McAlister: Fair is foul, and foul is fair

This week, we will be staging The Evil Within. This is a new dance and physical theatre piece, exploring some of literature’s most memorable, strong and villainous women - women who craved power and had a deep desire for justice… or vengeance. Tickets to the show are free - so get them now at www.hkyaf.com! 

We now speak to Lindsey McAlister, who is one of the choreographers and will be directing all the theatre pieces.

Lindsey, why did you choose to explore Shakespeare’s female villains?
Everyone LOVES playing a baddie…and Shakespeare writes so brilliantly for them. It was so much fun choosing which characters we would work with and developing choreography to portray traits such as manipulation, jealousy, anger, suspicion…and just general wickedness!! What’s not to love about this theme!

Who is your favourite character?
Oooohhhh that's tricky… must admit to always finding the character of Lady Macbeth intriguing! Her ambition and resolution…she has far greater strength than her husband…she knows where she is going and is movable from her mission. She is also very aware of the power that she has over her husband and manipulates him at every turn! She is a wonderful character to portray!
 
What are you hoping the young performers will get from this experience?
I hope we shall expose them to Shakespeare’s plays that they may not be so familiar with such as Cymbeline and Titus Andronicus. I was actually fairly ignorant of these two plays before we began this production! I also hope that through tackling Shakespeare’s in different ways, we take away the fear of Shakespeare!
 
Which do you think is Shakespeare’s greatest play and why?
I particularly like Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Nights Dream. They may not be the bard’s greatest, but I find them both accessible and enjoyable. I studied both at school and I performed roles from both plays - Juliet and Titania!! 

Romeo and Juliet has bawdy humour and a masked ball... a comedy which turns to tragedy…fab characters like Juliet’s nurse…and the balcony scene!! A Midsummer Night’s Dream…well who doesn’t like magic and fairies??

How did you choose the music?
One of my biggest joys when I embark on a YAF project is choosing the music. Sometimes I ask other choreographers to send me music they think fits the theme. Sometimes I re-listen to music I have downloaded before and never used. Or as I did on this occasion, I typed in keywords into iTunes and then sampled hundreds of different songs. I wishlisted the ones I thought I liked and were appropriate, and then downloaded a selection. I then played them over and over in the car as I drove to work. Finally, the ones that inspired me are the ones that made it into the show!!