Blending old-school whimsy with state-of-the-art technology, ZOOOM is an enchanting story of a child in her bedroom, unable to sleep and curious to understand.
She begins a transformational journey with light and discovers that the dark is a magical place. With the assistance of the audience, the girl discovers a community of people who can help her solve problems.
Adelaide actress Temeka Lawlor, who plays the main character, tells us more about the show.
What do you love the most about performing in children’s theatre?
Children are the most honest audience members of all. I love going out into the foyer after a show to meet them and being told all the million things they have to say. They tell me what the show reminded them of, the stories they made from it, the questions they have and (most importantly) all the answers they have.
Making and performing in children’s theatre means I get to play with magic, imagination and big ideas in beautiful and well-crafted ways. I love every giggle, squeal, comment and heckle each and every child in the audience has while I’m performing.
As the biggest sister of seven, young people and children have always been close to my heart and important in my life. Being able to make theatre with and for them is a dream come true.
Tell us about your role in ZOOOM. What’s your character like?
I play the human in ZOOOM and she sort of represents all people; she could be anyone. She is curious above all else, and she dreams up whole worlds in her mind. She is brave and keen for adventure, and she is in constant awe of our universe.
What are some of the special effects used during the show?
We have giant lasers, laser pointers, LEDs on sticks and fishing lines, projections, animations, TV screens – any lighting trick you can imagine is probably in ZOOOM!
How much rehearsal goes into working with so many props and projections?
I’m lucky to have worked on the original creation of ZOOOM, so I had lots of time to practice with all the complicated technology. Typically, you only have a week of rehearsals to learn a show, so that is a very short time to get everything perfect.
In ZOOOM you have to keep up with the timing of all the animations, projections and music. You’re juggling sharing energy out to the audience and responding to what’s happening on stage, all while fiddling with props, torches and laser pointers that sneak in and out of your pockets. There’s a lot that goes into ZOOOM to make everything work smoothly!
What do you like most about the show?
My favourite part is that I get to take this journey with our audience, and it’s different every time. The very first thing I do in the show is look out and wave at everyone; that’s my favourite bit because it tells the audience I’m here in the moment with them – I’m not ahead of what’s going on, we’re all taking this journey for the first time together.
How have audiences reacted to ZOOOM so far?
The responses we’ve had from ZOOOM have been overwhelming. From kindy children all the way to adults, everyone that sees the show leaves with a smile on their face and a story to tell. In every show the audience members are on their feet, dancing and calling out. Our audiences are the true stars of this show.
For those who haven’t seen it yet, what can audiences expect?
You can expect to be the joyous, adventurous, dancing participants of an adventure through the universe exploring light and dark, where small ideas turn to gigantic ones. ZOOOM is full of wonder. It’s a celebration of imagination, creation and the universe.
ZOOOM is at the Adelaide College of the Arts on May 22 & 23 as part of DreamBIG Children’s Festival.
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