Making Magical Moments by Rachel McGrath Kerr

Huitker Movement Theatre is one of Canberra’s newest theatre ensembles, created in April 2001 and dedicated to creating and performing fresh and innovative new works. On its second anniversary, Stage Whispers caught up with George Huitker, founder of HMT.

George Huitker is well-known in the arts community in Canberra for his many roles as actor, director, poet, playwright and composer. His work “Damage” received the 2002 Best Original Work award at the Duesbury’s Canberra Area Theatre (CAT) Awards. He has also taught drama at Radford College since 1989.

Canberra is already home to a number of theatre companies, presenting plays, play readings, musicals, cabaret and more. Rarely does a week go by without a local production. Knowing this well after so many years working in local productions, Huitker acknowledges the rewards of working with established companies, and also describes the benefits of self-starting by creating a company. He says, “It has given me the freedom to explore areas of my own theatrical interest rather than wait for other companies to do them. And then having to audition and not getting in. While the pressure of having to produce (ie. fund or find funding for) your own shows is not exactly light, it has allowed me to steer HMT into waters I want to sail in ­ and we haven’t drowned yet.”

Huitker Movement Theatre provides an alternative to the repertoire presented in Canberra, exhibiting risk-taking and edginess, and challenging the performance team as well as the audience. Although Huitker discusses with Nick Akhurst and Sarah Prosser where the company is heading, he makes the final decisions concerning the repertoire and directions of the company. HMT seeks to produce innovative and challenging original work. One such production was “Damage” (a “drance” or dance/drama piece) in 2002, in which the cost of industrialisation and globalisation equates to the loss of innocence in personal terms. It is an unsettling and emotionally powerful piece. Huitker sees that the dramatic work itself determines what limits there are in risk-taking, and if undertaking such themes, he asks the company to approach them with integrity, research and sensitivity.

“The Learning Curve”, also produced in 2002, was created from 41 of John Foulcher’s poems set in a Catholic secondary school, confronting the audience with views of a year full of students, teachers, sex, rumours, denial and death. Huitker had promised John Foulcher that he would bring his poems to the stage one day, and as it happened, this became the first HMT adventure.

Coming up in June 2004 is the stage production of Huitker’s book “Not Just Footy” (2001, published by Ginninderra Press). “Not Just Footy” looks at the autobiographical relationship between John Huitker and his son, George, and their shared love of soccer, while being sensitive, humorous and sometimes vulnerable. Walter Learning will be coming from Canada to direct the adaptation, with Huitker playing the part of his own father and Jake Fraser (who acted in “Damage”) playing the part of the son.

Earlier in 2004, Canberra audiences will be treated to “Dealer’s Choice” by Patrick Marber (of “Closer” fame). And in October 2004, three new directors will be given a chance to stretch themselves professionally and artistically in “Cut Directors”, in which they will have the opportunity to direct one of Huitker’s plays with an experienced cast.

Running a theatre company is made easier with help from supporters. Mal Houston and Stephen Pike at Canberra Repertory Society gave HMT a home and an excellent, wide stage at Theatre 3 in Acton, Canberra, and included access to all Rep resources. Huitker says that without such support, HMT would have a very different character by now. This type of resource support is invaluable. After all, “If you give kids lots of coloured crayons and heaps of butcher’s paper, they make more startling pictures than if you just give them a gray crayon and a single A4 sheet” says Huitker. ArtsACT have provided funding for HMT’s more experimental projects and Radford College Collegians continue to give much appreciated support.

In the coming years, HMT will be continuing its practice of seeking up-and-coming actors as well as established actors. Huitker spoke about the advantages in working with those who are starting out in theatre. “The advantage of working with inexperienced practitioners is that they always carry minimal baggage, have had little time to develop bad theatrical habits, [and] are fresh and willing in their approach.” Along with advantages and opportunities also come challenges to directors who are investing in the future, “making sure you don’t provide them with baggage, bad habits, cynicism, fatigue and arrogance.”

An integral (and much anticipated) part of HMT original productions is the use of multimedia and animation. These appear relatively infrequently in other Canberra productions, although it is not obvious whether it is due to the choice of repertoire, or the confidence to use new technology in a different spectrum. An exception was the recent HMT production of Stephen King’s “Misery” which used little of it, although Huitker would have liked to see it used more. He guarantees it will be there in abundance for “Welcome to the Machine” (an original dance/drama production scheduled for later this year), and as part of HMT’s commitment to establishing and building upon a youth skills base, he will be engaging high-school Media students in creating multimedia work which may be used for this production.

Treading a fine line between special effects to underscore the narrative, and effects for their own sake is never easy. Huitker is aware that multimedia spectacle, novelty and beauty could possibly distract from the actors, dancers and the narrative structure. He sees special effects as one of a variety of tools with which the themes are explored, and it is up to the director to choose which tools are used and to what extent. HMT works with Problem Child Productions (established by Dylan Mordike), which is a company designed to deal with creative production for schools, stage and screen. Problem Child Productions also maintains the Huitker Movement Theatre website (http://www.users.bigpond.com/hmtheatre/).

Canberra opening nights of local productions are rarely packed to the rafters. Huitker doesn’t see this as indicative that Canberrans don’t want to try something new or different. As he says, opening nights swell if many complimentary tickets are handed out, but Huitker Movement Theatre has refused to do this. Although the audiences might not be sold out for the first couple of performances, word of mouth about a good production causes audience sizes to grow. Huitker explains: “My actors and production crew invest ­ and so should the audience”. I asked him if people would wait to read a review of a local or original production before committing to going to the performance. Huitker believes if people are going to go to a production, they will go regardless. “Anyone that allows a critic (of anything) to make their decisions for them is not living properly.”

Canberra has its own awards process to acknowledge excellence on the stage - Duesbury’s Canberra Area Theatre (CAT) Awards. In 2002, Huitker received the Gold Cat award for outstanding achievement simultaneously in many categories, acknowledging his many abilities as an actor, director, playwright and producer. When asked about the value of awards processes, Huitker pointed out that awards can give a person greater confidence to persevere. Although it seems that commercial, mainstream productions seem more likely to be rewarded, public acknowledgment of original and unusual works with high standards are a boost to the theatre company.

Huitker has been teaching drama for nearly 15 years now, and although the combination of full-time teaching, performing, directing and writing is not easy, he is still enthusiastic about it. Encouragement comes from seeing people get a glint in the eye during a performance, and “seeing people grow through and from the dramatic experience on or off the stage compensates totally for baggy eyes from many consecutive late nights and a cantankerous disposition”. Huitker also thinks a School for Dramatic Arts in Canberra, to allow gifted local actors to continue theatrical training at a tertiary level would be fabulous. “There are so many people who cannot follow their dramatic muse due to geographical and/or financial problems. It would also lift the standard of work in our town.”

But whether students go on with theatre or tertiary drama studies or not, is irrelevant. As Huitker says “In theatre, it is the magical moments and the making of them which are everything.”

Stage Whispers