The Keeper

The Keeper was co-written by Penelope Bartlau and Chrissie Shaw, directed by Penelope and performed by Chrissie. Through object theatre, story and song, The Keeper is a gothic tale of light and dark, revealing tales from Australian lighthouses from early last century. The Keeper had its premiere season at The Street Theatre, Canberra, in March ’08, to critical acclaim.

Director’s Notes

“When I was little my mother sang a song to Dolly and I, about living on a ship in a bottle. That was how she saw it. There was a world on the other side of the glass. You just had to fly out through the opening of the bottle and you were away”

In December ’07, Chrissie Shaw contacted me and asked if I would be interested in directing a show she was developing – A tale of lighthouses, bathtubs and ghosts, and of the isolation and deprivation endured by the families who lived and worked on Australian lighthouse islands. When we came together in January, Chrissie brought a mountain of research material and writing, which we then set about to distil into a structure, with a narrative through line, underpinned by a core premise:

It’s not the hand you’re dealt, but how you deal with it.

We came up with some key visual elements, finished the script, and went to work into creative development.

Chrissie is an incredible artist. She has the stamina of a mountain goat, the memory of an elephant, and the sensitivity of a butterfly. New to puppetry - object theatre in particular – she has dived in, open heart and open mind – to tackle the art form.

In November ’07 I finished a Master of Puppetry at the Victorian College of the Arts – the major part of which was a show I produced, using traditional puppetry and object theatre, looking at mortality and attachment. The thematic elements I chose were water and ether, and an island as a metaphor for a kind of purgatory. The parallels between Chrissie’s work and my own were uncanny, making for a dynamic partnership.

I hope you enjoy The Keeper. Chrissie is a joy to direct, and a joy to watch.

Penelope Bartlau.