NORPA's Julian Louis and place-based theatre

Immersive theatre piece Wildskin, the latest NORPA production with Julian Louis at the helm, will open on September 12 at Lismore Showground.

The artistic director’s work at the intersection of devised theatre and place-based practice has earned critical acclaim and commercial success. His Railway Wonderland was set in a disused railway station, Dreamland was set in community halls, and Love for One Night explored intersecting love stories set in a classic Australian country pub—the Eltham Hotel.

In the coming Wildskin, the sensory, immersive production is staged as part bush-thriller noir and part road trip.

The piece was lauded as a ‘visual and emotional feast’ by Australian Stage and ‘inventive and life-affirming by ArtsHub when it premiered in 2019, and Louis has reimagined the 2024 version as a site-specific work.

Wildskin stars Sara Browne, Melia Naughton, Cass Duell, Kate Foster and Jade Dewi Tyas Tunngal. Photo: DAVID COPE

“Site-specific work takes inspiration from a location outside a theatre and transforms it into a theatre experience,” he said.

“Like turning the disused Lismore Railway station into a show about hellos and goodbyes across time.

“I’m passionate because these shows are what people want – experiences – and I love that theatre can transform the places we know.”

The Byron and Lismore local said he was drawn to the challenges and opportunities of making theatre in a regional area, but no one could have predicted the past four years.

“It’s been tough, and the company is still emerging from past-pandemic and post-flood recovery,” he said.

Artistic Director Julian Louis believes NORPA’s role is fundamental to the region’s arts ecology. Photo: DAVID COPE

“We have had to maintain audiences, funding and partnerships while cancelling full seasons and losing the company’s venue and home base.

“Many would give up and say it’s too hard, but this 30-year history is part of the region’s DNA.

“We have a role to play that’s fundamental to the region’s arts ecology.”

Louis described Wildskin as a fun and wild psychological thriller, outside the conventions of typical theatre and heightened by its location.

Julian Louis – Wildskin director and NORPA Artistic Director, Heather Fairburn – NORPA Associate Director and Charlotte Haywood – Set and Costume Designer, with the five member ensemble cast. Photo: DAVID COPE

“It’s also about adventuring outside one’s limitations and breaking social expectation barriers. It’s about going deeper into yourself and perhaps finding an inner truth, even if that’s a little scary,” he said.

The production runs from September 12 to September 28, and a pop-up bar and diner is open each night from 5.30 pm.

Wildskin buses will run from Byron and Ballina.

For information, timetables and tickets, head to norpa.org.au