The National Theatre is kicking off the new year with a new nationwide schools touring production, The LeftBehinds. 10,000 young people nationwide will see the show as it embarks on its 11 week tour to 11 areas across England, being brought directly into school halls.
Co-created by playwright Ross Willis and director Ned Bennett, The LeftBehinds is a new production set in a post-apocalyptic future. The LeftBehinds must race across a desolate wasteland in a high-octane quest to rebuild an android, unlock its power and save the planet.
This new production aims to inspire creativity in schools and open up the arts for young people, giving students access to a genre-pushing theatrical experience in their own school hall, followed by interactive workshops to explore the technical elements of creating a theatre production.
Ryn Alleyne plays Kit KnightShade and Ethan Hughes plays Beandigo, two of The LeftBehinds.
The LeftBehinds is described as a high-octane, post-apocalyptic adventure. What’s been the most exciting or challenging part of bringing this futuristic world to life on stage?
Ryn: As someone who loves video games, animation and comics, it’s been so exciting to translate all my favourite things onto a stage! The challenge of it all would have to be the commitment to imagine all the amazing lore and story we have made for the play and really make the audience believe every second our adventure.
Ethan: One of the fun limitations of touring is that you don’t have the luxury of constructing large sets to show the audience where you are. We are lucky enough to be working with an incredible design team for this show, who have worked incredibly hard to create this detailed patchwork of costume, props, light and sound, and we as actors have worked hard to set ourselves firmly in the reality of this crazy post-apocalyptic world. The atmosphere in the space is truly brilliant and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it.
Your characters, Kit KnightShade and Beandigo, have such unique names! If you could give yourself a cool post-apocalyptic nickname, what would it be and why?
Ryn: Great question! It would have to be something really cool but weird. I’d love my first name to be really unconventional like “Pink” (it’s my favourite colour right now) and my surname to be something mystical like “Windcharm”.
Ethan: I’ve always been a huge fan of video games, so I think it would have to be something to do with that. Perhaps a slightly subtle nod to my favourite game of all time ‘Portal 2’. So I guess I’d name myself Atlas, after one of the androids from the co-op mode. Given what The LeftBehinds is all about, that seems pretty fitting to me.
The production tours schools all over the country, performing in school halls instead of traditional theatres. How has performing in these unique spaces influenced your experience as an actor?
Ryn: Performing in front of young people is such a privilege for any actor. The energy /atmosphere is completely different to any theatre and it’s infectious which I love! To be able to show up and completely change the school hall into something out of this world is an amazing challenge and I have learnt so many different skills to do so.
Ethan: It’s an interesting challenge, that’s for sure. One of the things you’re often taught as an actor is the ability to be adaptive. Every space is unique and has its own requirements, and I think that’s quite exciting as an actor, it keeps the show fresh and keeps you on your toes, which I love!
The show involves racing to rebuild an android. If you could design your own personal robot, what would its special abilities be?
Ryn: Travel! I’d make an android that can turn into any mode of transportation so I could either zip through the air like a hover board or drive it like a train depending on how I’m feeling! And it could adapt to the amount of people I bring along. Would be a lot more ideal than being stuck on the central line.
Ethan: I think my robot would have the ability to stop time. The boring parts of life often get in the way of us properly living it, but I’d still want to do all of those boring things myself. With my robot, I could get all my chores and my admin done, and still have more than enough time for the things that really matter.
The play features interactive workshops and technical elements. Is there a particular behind-the-scenes aspect of this production that really amazed you?
Ryn: Spoilers! But one of my favourite things is the magical trunk that you can’t see the inside of unless there’s light! And throughout the beginning of the play it flashes, revealing glimpses of Asha KnightShade’s secret. It’s been beautifully crafted and is one of my favourite technical features of the play.
Ethan: I touched on this briefly earlier, but all of the design elements of the show are absolutely baffling to me in their detail and complexity. Being part of the technical rehearsals and seeing the lighting and sound teams work their magic is one of my favourite things in the world. There’s something about watching a room being transformed into a bright and colourful world of light and sound that never fails to transport me back to that feeling of childlike wonder.
What advice would you give to young people who are inspired by The LeftBehinds and want to get into theatre, whether onstage or behind the scenes?
Ryn: My advice would be to broaden your imagination! Watch films, read books, play video games, listen to music, watch plays! Dive into how it’s made or what the actors process was and find out more about it. Write and or create your own work as well! Get friends or family to join in!
Ethan: I would say just to try as many creative outlets as you can, because you never know what you might find helpful. And in fact, I think that extends beyond just creative outlets too. I used to do parkour with my school friends when I was 8 years old because we thought it was cool, and I’ve ended up using some of the things I learned back then in The LeftBehinds. In a more practical sense, google is your friend. There might be local acting or technical clubs/classes available to you, and depending on your age you might want to look into youth theatres or drama school. But ultimately, for me, it’s about finding things that help satisfy your creativity, and the possibilities for that are truly endless.
For tour info, please visit https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/whats-on/leftbehinds-schools-tour/
Articulate conversation from two bright young actors. They have an exciting time ahead and seem to looking forward to it and show what can be done .