Interrogating control, grief and family, SHELTER will draw you in with its secrets, make you laugh with its warmth and break your heart with the truth.
Indiah Morris, the founder of The Drawer Productions and the director of SHELTER, dished to NEHIB about their upcoming show. Indiah is an emerging writer, director, actor and visual artist who has been creating and performing in the Brisbane theatre sector since moving from the Sunshine Coast in 2017.
Tell us about the show in 100 words or less
SHELTER is an immersive experience that places you in a space where time folds. Audience members are invited to explore an abandoned bunker guided by Sophia Chapman, a young woman who was left the bunker in her mother’s will. Inside, the audience will witness Sophia’s family across time as the echoes of the past linger in the measly brick rooms that was their home. Interrogating control, grief and family, SHELTER will draw you in with its secrets, make you laugh with its warmth and break your heart with the truth.
Anywhere Festival takes place anywhere but a theatre. Tell us about your venue. What is it about your space that adds to your audience experience?
SHELTER will be performed in the Farrier Bar + Supper club in Fortitude Valley. Hidden under the Queens Arms Hotel, the Farrier is an old stable transformed into a later night whiskey bar. You walk through a wooden door down a side street to find this secret space, held up by wonderful red brick archways that hide nooks, crannies and multiple paths throughout the space. Its low ceilings and isolated (yet still connected) spaces create the perfect atmosphere for SHELTER’s bunker.
What is your creative process like?
The show began as an exploration of isolation after a little tiny global pandemic (don’t know if you’ve heard of it) forced everyone to find a new relationship with being alone. We mind mapped, improvised, ripped up tiny cards to place them in different orders. As young artists, we experimented with ways into this show. We meditated exploring creative visualisation. We set mini composition challenges to get us on our feet quick, bypassing any self-criticism of our ideas. We sat in a room not talking to each other, frantically typing away, each in our own creative groove. Eventually our ideas became narrative (or something that somewhat looked like one). As an immersive piece, our show is constantly evolving and will continue to evolve with audiences. Our show is profoundly impacted by those who come along to witness and we will continue creatively adapting until the curtain call on closing night.
Image: Nikita Oliver
Tell us your origin story. How did your company/show/collaboration start?
The Drawer Productions began after the 1st iteration SHELTER (2020). Due to the many limitations of a pandemic, our big ideas were met with hard no’s at every corner. We were determined not to shelve our dreams, a philosophy that inspired The Drawer Productions.
We were inspired by the 2003 Peter Pan Film (a staple of my childhood), specifically a moment where Mrs. Darling tells her children their father keeps his dreams in a drawer.
Mrs. Darling: Sometimes, late at night, we take them out and admire them. But it gets harder and harder to close the drawer....He does.
This idea of a drawer of hidden dreams stuck with me. Determined to create a platform that was dedicated to sharing dreams rather than hiding them, the company was born. Every production from ‘The Drawer’ is a dream seeing the light and for us, SHELTER was our dream waiting it’s turn.
Who is your perfect audience member? Who is going to LOVE this event?
If you love a little bit of magic and a whole lot of heart. If you love family secrets and mystery. If you love 80s fashion and the unique knick knacks from childhood you’ve forgotten growing up. If you love art and a good chat about it, you will love this. With the Farrier Bar serving drinks throughout the performance and an area to discuss your thoughts with other attendees, those who love a unique and fun night out, will LOVE this show.
Is there anything else we simply MUST know about the show?
ART! ART! ART! Visual art is a big part of the world of SHELTER, for our characters and for the space. Part of the SHELTER experience is your ability to contribute to the art in the space. Want to leave your mark? Come along to the show.
’Shelter’ plays as a part of the 2021 Anywhere Festival from 6-9 May at Farrier Bay + Supper Club, Fortitude Valley.
