Kid gloves off for young actors in action-packed stage drama

Harry McNaughton and Natalia Di Palma in Black Ice, a gothic fairy tale mixing romance and terror.

Any employers who tell their young staff not to spend the summer evenings partying probably has their work cut out for them.

But that's the request Pandemonium Theatre director Margaret-Mary Hollins has made of the teenagers and twentysomethings appearing in the company's latest production, Black Ice.

Described as a gothic fairy tale blending fantasy, terror and romance, Black Ice is physical theatre with some of its young cast playing a variety of ferocious beasts.

They confront two mismatched young lovers, played by Harry McNaughton and Natalia Di Palma, who run away from home only to find a world filled with unexpected dangers.

The story will appeal to lovers of author Philip Pullman's controversial Northern Lights trilogy.

Because of the demands the production places on its 15-strong cast, Hollins says no one can arrive at work feeling the effects of the night before.

The cast - the two leads at least - take that seriously. McNaughton, 18, sheepishly admits to the odd transgression earlier, but says with just days to go until opening night rehearsals have intensified.

"I went home the other day and slept for 16 hours," he says. "I didn't have the energy for anything else. Besides, I'm willing to make sacrifices for a really good show."

Black Ice has its roots in drama workshops and classes Pandemonium Theatre runs in schools and through school-holiday programmes.

The cast were recruited from the promising young talent encountered by Pandemonium's three founder-directors - Hollins, Lynne Cardy and Kate Parker.

It began as a short piece based on a gypsy tale but was completely transformed into a new story. That transformation has taken more than a year, with only McNaughton and Di Palma retaining the roles they began with.

Di Palma, also 18, says essentially Black Ice is a story about young people finding their place in an uncertain world.

There is not a lot of room for teenage angst about fitting in or losing face in front of one's peers.

Hollins acknowledges that she, Cardy and Parker can be brutally frank in saying what is or isn't working.

"Actors can be very sensitive and a lot of the time directors, who are totally focused on the finished product and making it happen, can be, well, insensitive, but it is never personal."

And McNaughton and Di Palma say that is what they expect, as they see the production as a bridge between the shows they have previously been in and the more brutal professional world. They don't want to be treated with kid gloves.

Because the project has been more than a year in development, they say a safe and supportive environment where people feel comfortable has been created. They have also appreciated having input into the story.

Hollins says one of the positives of working with young performers is their willingness to take risks and experiment with the story.

*  Black Ice is at the Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall, Feb 11-18, 8pm, Sun 6pm