Interview: Dan Giovannoni of THE GREAT UN-WONDERING OF WILBUR WHITTAKER at State Theatre Centre

How important is imagination? Perhaps those of us further into our adult lives may value it a bit less, however it's hard to watch children playing and assert that it's not important. This devaluation with age is explored in The Barking Gecko Theatre's latest work, THE GREAT UN-WONDERING OF WILBUR WHITTAKER. The play is written by Dan Giovannoni and directed by Luke Kerridge, and it is the third time the two have paired up like this. I caught up with Dan to discuss the show and what we can expect from it.

"Luke contacted me with the idea a while back," said Dan, recounting how the play began its journey. "His idea was based on the classic Le Petit Prince, and he really wanted to explore the value of imagination in adulthood. It's one of his favourite books and the whole thing began as a sort of love letter to it." Dan insists it was far from a matter of taking Luke Kerridge's idea and just expanding on it, with the pair taking time to discuss what it meant to them and what they wanted to see. "Luke and I have spent a long time working with young people and children in youth theatre and education, and reflecting on that we both realise that we always try to keep their sense of wonder. I'm not sure how much modern education nurtures imagination, so we always try to keep it in people. The idea behind this play is exploring what happens if we lose our imagination."

It's been quite a journey for the play, not least of all because writer Dan Giovannoni is based in the Eastern states whilst the show comes together in Perth. Luckily, the wonders of Zoom and (and recent eased border restrictions) has allowed Giovannoni to see some of it first-hand. "It's been amazing to see it all come together. Every time I watch rehearsals or readings there's a new piece of set that's been made or a now amazing prop. It's been quite humbling to have all these amazing people working so hard to bring my vision to life. They started with me writing by myself in my study and now there's a whole group of people bringing it to life." Whilst Giovannoni has been able to be a part of the process, there is still a degree of trust needed to allow people on the other side of the country to bring his ideas into reality. "It's something you never quite get used to and it really adds to the meaning of the show for me, that there's these things that began in my mind and are now coming together across the country. Luckily I've worked with Luke Kerridge before, and I know he's always going to do the right thing. There's been times where he'll call and see what I think, but there's been times they've used their own ideas and I know the end product will be amazing."

Whilst the show is about a man who loses his sense of wondering, and reflects on the importance of keeping that from childhood, the show has something for everyone. "The audience will see someone who realises they're losing their wondering, and then grappling with what exactly that means and what the implications are. I hope any children who see the show try to keep those things about them as long as possible, and any adults who see it stop to think about what it means to have less wonder and maybe to realise it's ok to not act like an adult all the time." The show itself is a journey which starts in Wilbur's rather plain house but then takes off into all sorts of places, including into space. "There's a degree of all the cartons and symbols from my and Luke's on childhoods in it, and as we delved deeper into it all we really wanted people to be able to see all the places and things we imagined. The team at Barking Gecko have done a fantastic job with their sets and props to create all the different scenes that Wilbur goes to in his journey, and at each of these stops he learns something about himself and recovers a bit of his wondering. Every time I see a new part of the show come together I'm impressed and I hope the audience is too."

THE GREAT UN-WONDERING OF WILBUR WHITTAKER is at Heath Ledger Theatre from April 9th through 16th with child friendly show times. Tickets and more information from The Perth Theatre Trust.

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