The Realm Of Shunga: Interview with Anna Boglione

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The next event is on Saturday 30th of April, you can get the tickets here:  http://tinyurl.com/zkgkdac

Tell us about Petersham Road? What inspired you to start it?

Petersham Road is many things as we found it hard to pick one! We strive to bring our ethos to everything and anything we put our hand to. Whether putting together a music stage at a festival or creating a detailed piece of site specific theatre, we want to capture our audience with 360 degrees of sensory entertainment.

We started as Petersham Playhouse but felt restricted by conventional theatre, we needed to be able to do more. We want to enrapture our audience, and take them on journeys into different realms. We are now a theatre without walls, taking away these boundaries allows us to push, question and rethink our form of theatre time and time again. That is what inspired us to become Petersham Road.

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What were your most successful shows so far or what projects did you enjoy the most so far?

Jabberwocky was amazing! We lived in a wild forest in Oxfordshire for roughly a month. All of us camped out with a huge army tent in the middle where we rehearsed, told stories, got into costume and even had a heated fight once about whether or not to put a courgette in the risotto; it was dramatic. The sets were made from organic material, twisting branches covered in moss to create tunnels, walkways and performance areas. There was colour and huge puppets throughout which captured the imagination of all age groups. We saw Wilderness festival come and go around us. We lived and breathed this production, loosing ourselves in the world of the Jabberwocky. When it came to opening to the public we saw the same magic capture the audience in a world that we created… that felt like success.

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Tell us a bit more about your latest project The Realm Of Shunga? How did the idea come about and what is unique about this particular production?

We are so excited about SHUNGA.

We have been working on a new form of immersive event, it differs from our site specific theatre. Guests and performers alike, are encouraged to get lost in a massive game of make believe. This is fantasy-play on a huge scale and in this particular case very much for adults. We don’t believe that play should be reserved for kids, why not make adult fun really fun?

Shunga is a celebration of sexual arts, from different times and continents. Set in the underworld of a post apocalyptic oppressed society, where speakeasies have been re imagined.  The arts have been driven underground. Hidden behind closed doors you will find music, dancing, joy and pleasure.

“Remember to be careful where you tread, who you tell and ALWAYS ask questions, Shunga is never quite what it seems.”

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What is your secret in creating seamless immersive experiences for the public?

Havin    g a great team. A strong team makes all the difference.

Where do you think immersive theatre is heading to? How is it changing/evolving?

Society is evolving with technology. Entertainment is ever changing to meet our demands, be it with live stream,  4k content, 3d mapping or the oculus rift, it seems we want more. With everything at our fingertips we can be instantly entertained. Theatre needs to keep up with the levels of stimulation by incorporating advanced tech.

Technology plays a huge role in our lives, why not also incorporate it into theatre.

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What are your future plans?

To get some sleep after the opening night of SHUNGA! When I am doing a show its all encompassing. Im not very good from separating my life from my work.  We have some very exciting projects in the pip line, at the moment they are super top secret. We have however,  just announced the line up for The Juke Joint at Wilderness Festival. We have some great bands so please come hang out in the deep south at our rhythm and blues stage.

The next event is on Saturday 30th of April, you can get the tickets here:  http://tinyurl.com/zkgkdac

Social links:

Website: www.petershamroad.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petershamroad/?fref=ts

Twitter: @petershamroad

Instagram: Petersham_Road