Currently performing at the Polka Theatre, Teegan Hurley is playing the Princess, in The Pirate, The Princess, and The Platypus- a fun and fresh piece of kids' theatre. This new fairytale adventure takes you on a journey alongside these characters to their magical lands, packed with laughs too.
In response to some questions about the show, here's what Teegan had to tell us.
What can audiences expect from this production, and what kind of story is being told?
I think audiences can expect a very action packed, very silly hour well spent, and find there’s something for everyone. It’s a tale as old as time really: platypus, meets pirate, meets princess. Epic adventures, things go wrong, they go wronger, and we all find our happy end eventually!
What drew you to being part of some new kids theatre?
The fact it is new was really exciting; I read the script and I was just kind of blown away by it- it’s unexpected and packed with jokes. I had to be involved!
What is the most fun element about working on this project?
I love the costumes and design of the show, it’s so vivid and original, and it really informs us as actors. Especially with the queen, it’s this large, harlequin-esqe, GORGEOUS dress and we get to put it on and find out who this person is. And they’re always veeeery silly.
How are you ensuring your role doesn't fall to stereotypes of gender identity?
We’re very lucky the script does a lot of this for us; we talk about what’s “pirate”-like and “princess”- like but none of those features are tied to a gender. We wanted to look at those stereotypes when rehearsing, so we could break them down and avoid them altogether. These characters, like all people, don’t owe anyone any form of gender presentation and gender is intentionally the least relevant part of their story.
Who does your role aim to inspire?
I hope this princess inspires young people to do what they like doing- and when it’s not what they expected or it doesn’t bring them joy anymore, they try something different! I hope this show presents that we don’t have to be any one thing or commit whole heartedly to one life or one way of thinking: we can change it up whenever and however we like. I want people to think when watching this, that they can just be themselves with every single fluctuating and wild nuance that comes with that.
How would you hope children would feel after seeing this show?
I hope children feel empowered and exhausted from dancing to the epic finale song! But, most importantly I want to it spark a little bit of joy.
Many thanks to Teegan for sharing an insight on The Pirate, The Princess, and The Platypus, and how her role fits in the world of children's theatre. Best of luck for the remainder of the run!
Tickets can be purchased here:
Additional thanks to Alice James for coordinating this interview.