Theatre practitioner, writer, creative learning specialist and blogger Carl Woodward recently caught up with Tony Adigun of Avant Garde Dance to talk through his love of music, reinventing a classic tale and his inspirations. Below is a small excerpt from the interview – and Pavilion Dance even gets a cheeky mention!
“Fagin’s Twist examines one of Charles Dickens’ most famous notorious villains. How did it all come about?
I was looking for a classic tale to re-tell, and finally settled on the story of Oliver Twist. In thinking about the different characters in the book, with the team, I set about re-imagining some of them; discussing what led them to the point at which the story we all know starts, and creating backstories for those who didn’t have them. How did they get to that point? Oliver’s character seemed too simple, he was too nice and everything just fell into place for him. It seemed too easy for him. Fagin was the last one we looked at. I’m a believer in the underdog and I was really interested in his personality. I wanted to take his journey before he got to the point where he’s most recognisable and look at his past, at his childhood and see what parallels I could make between him and Oliver.
You are bringing Fagin’s Twist to Pavilion Dance in Bournemouth. What are your thoughts on the cultural ecology in the region?