“Being artistic director, you do have the worry about the toilets and staff turnover, and funding, but seeing kids going to a show and being excited before they go in, and then coming out buzzing, that is magic,” explains Justin Audibert, artistic director at Unicorn Theatre in SE1.
You can feel the magic of Unicorn Theatre when speaking to Justin, he says “it really is the best audience – definitely in London – but I would probably say the best audience anywhere”. Creating shows for children and young people is “responsive and live”, he tells The Biscuit. “They have no interest in being polite to you. If they don’t like what you do, they’ll tell you, very vocally. And I think it’s great to grow from it and learn to get better because you read them.”
Justin started his role as artistic director in early 2018 – fast forward and the theatre experienced the hard effects of the pandemic, which much of arts felts. “What’s been good [post-Covid] is the hunger of parents and teachers to bring their kids to have shared experiences. It’s really heartening that people are still wanting to do that in a meaningful way,” he says.
Justin’s first experience of theatre was joining a drama society at university, where everyone took it seriously but they also had the chance to mess about, he explain. He went on to study directing at Birkbeck, a course that was set up due to a lack of socioeconomic diversity in theatre directors. The course included a year placement, which Justin did at what is now called the Leeds Playhouse. From then, he never looked back. He assisted people who were “kind and generous”, and who helped his career progress.
Bringing the arts to young people is something that Justin is very clearly passionate about, and the theatre works with local schools and the community to do just that. “We’re lucky, because Southwark is an amazing place to be, but the socioeconomic diversity ranges enormously.
“We have partner schools in Southwark, Lambeth, and Tower Hamlets who have become our creative associates. They spend time being the experts and being children, and exploring the topics and themes of the plays that we’re thinking about doing. So that’s really key to the very essence of the work on our stages.”
What do art and culture add to the lives of young people? “It means you are a happier human being. You don’t have to make theatre, but you can go and watch it and it makes you feel more alive. It makes you feel more connected to other people, it makes you feel inspired. And that feeling bleeds into the rest of your life. I think that is vital.”
Justin explains how one of the joys of the Unicorn is that, because you’re catering for so many different audiences, “it can’t be samey”. He says: “It all has to be different because of the age groups and where children are at in their development. We don’t always get it right, but it’s great trying to figure out that puzzle.”
The latest puzzle facing the Unicorn Theatre is how to tackle lying. Writer Eve Leigh came to Justin with an adaptation of Pinocchio, which is showing at the Unicorn until Saturday 31 December 2022 – “it should be a real Christmas spectacular, plus it’s set in snowy alpine Italy.”
In Pinocchio, Eve asks the question: What is the corrosive power of lying? And why do we teach kids not to lie? “And Eve isn’t simplistic about it. It’s a brilliant investigation into what lying is and what it does to us, and how, ultimately, it corrodes us and makes us less real.”
Justin adds: “The play isn’t just asking what it is to be a good boy but explores Geppetto and what it’s like to be an actual parent. I’m a parent to a four-year-old, and sometimes you’re not your best self. Geppetto is not always the best parent, he’s learning. You see two people who are trying to do the right thing, but not do the right thing. Towards the end, they figure it out. The whole premise before that is them both trying and that’s really human. At the heart of it, it’s about why telling the truth matters to society and about how to be a good parent and a good child, and because it’s Christmas, of course, love saves the day in the end.”
Justin celebrates the team at the Unicorn for working to bring the arts to young people: “They are unbelievable, everyone is led by wanting to give children the best theatrical experience possible. Working in a place like this does make you bob into work with joy in your heart because everybody really cares. They are a hell of a staff.”
Pinocchio is showing until 31 December 2022. Tickets: Under 18s £13-£21, Adults £19-£29.50.
Unicorn Theatre, 147 Tooley Street, SE1 2HZ. www.unicorntheatre.com
