A Monster Calls | Five minutes with the Movement Director

Discover more about the development process of A Monster Calls as Movement Director Dan Canham shares his inside knowledge about the show's unique physicality.

What does the role of Movement Director involve?
All sorts! Helping Sally to stage the play and make the action as visually dynamic as we can. Choreographing and leading on set pieces. Working with the ensemble to heighten and embellish the action. Transitions. Working with the actors to help them use physicality to unlock things in their characters. Those are some of the things I'm directly involved in.

How does the movement enhance this world Sally’s created?
It's a collaborative process involving lots of different elements so we're all chipping in to develop the world of the piece. In this case, the staging is very sparse and so there are lots of opportunities to use the performers' movement skills to change the space and suggest environments and fantastical events without having to be overly literal. 

Sally’s shows are well known for their unique physicality. What sets A Monster Calls apart from her previous productions?
Like many in the creative team, I've been working with Sally for many years across multiple projects. The trust and understanding of we've built with each other means we're able to push ourselves in new and exciting directions with our work – not wanting to repeat ourselves, but build on what we know and drive it further.

Without giving too much away, how have you worked to bring the tree monster to life?
As with all of Sally's shows, we work hard to engage an audience's imagination, offering just enough to an audience that they can get the fullness of the tree monster, without having to be too literal and aping what film could do better. We’re using all the theatrical tools at our disposal to create a dynamic and bold tree monster.

What reaction do you hope to receive from the audience?
It's an incredible and deeply moving story that we're the custodians of, and so I hope that in telling it with heart and with honesty, the audience can come along with us and get carried away on this brave 13-year-old boy’s profound journey.

Discover more about the development process of A Monster Calls by picking up a copy of the show programme during your visit.