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Play Kool kids Last summer a group of grown-ups had an idea. That idea became 13 half hour-long, self-produced episodes of a children’s television show for community TV. Eve Vincent spoke to ‘Play Kool’ presenter and co-creator Claire Pettigrew about having fun, making TV and a ball of thread named Fred.
The world can be a tiring, complicated, heart-breaking thing to live in. Before all this, before ‘being adult’, Claire Pettigrew remembers being a “small person”, which involved wearing cute jumpers and gumboots, and learning — all the time. Hanging out at home on a hot day Claire was wishing — out loud — that she could be “small again”. Or, at least, she wished that she could star on ABC TV’s Play School, which turned 40 this year and is one of the longest running programs on Australian television. But that was impossible too; Claire can’t sing. Housemate Ali Russell suggested that they make their own show instead. That was summer. It’s now September. Claire and Ali have spent about 120 hours in a studio in Turrella filming. They reckon about 80 people have helped out on Play Kool in some way – from lunch ladies to camera operators, song-writers to special on-screen guests. They’ve got six days of shooting to go: the adventure segments. Then Ali starts editing. It’s an “ambitious” project says Claire; luckily they didn’t realise just how much work was involved when they set out. Each episode of Play Kool has a different theme and follows the same format, mapped out on what Claire calls the “Play Kool master-plan”, which evolved on the kitchen wall. Claire starts out chatting to the toys, a friendly visitor knocks on the door, they make something. Then there’s a puppet show, an adventure to be had, a bit of jumping around, a story read from a book and another guest, who comes from the outside world to teach something related to the theme. For the Bodies episode someone appeared on the show to demonstrate how deaf people use Auslan to communicate. And a one-legged pirate sang, “I’m happy being me.” Other themes include feelings, plants, weather, family, and colours. There’s a lot of singing, with lyrics and music commissioned from some of the finest in Sydney’s punk and hip hop scenes. Another housemate, Jess Lopez, joins Claire for over half the episodes; Jess shows up as a wise tree, a recycling bin, and deep sea diver. If that sounds a bit like Play School, then what does Play Kool do differently? They certainly share philosophical underpinnings: both are committed to inclusive representations and encourage physical movement, creativity and curiosity. But Play Kool’s aesthetic and ethos is distinctively D.I.Y.
Sets were constructed “out of cardboard found behind shops”. Equipment was scavenged and scabbed. All up it cost less than $700 to make. The motley, well-loved toy collection came from op shops: teddies Flamboyant Ted and Stripy Ted; a pink plastic flamingo Long Neck; Chick Pea the fluffy chicken, sock puppets Red and Blue; the ball of thread named Fred. Claire reads from “dog-eared books with Newtown Library written all over them”. Constant learning and skill-sharing happened behind the camera and in front of it. First up, Claire’s household figured out pretty quickly that they needed to get to a studio after Red, Blue and their puppeteers took over the entire lounge room for the first week of shooting. Learning by doing is empowering says Claire: “I’ve never had any singing or performance training but it doesn’t stop me from doing what I want to do.” When they began, Claire found interacting with toys as the camera rolled “completely nerve wracking” and forced. By the time studio shooting concluded, it was one of the most enjoyable segments to film; often Claire kept a straight face while her easily improvised intros had the whole crew in stitches. Play Kool depended on and generated a strong sense of community. New people came on board all the time, offering their skills, pitching in, responding to call-outs and pleas: spending time together, making something. ‘Punk kids’ wrote kid songs. Having lunch brought in was important, says Claire, it forced the team to break, and introduced new energy into long days. There were plenty of disasters: making ‘simple’ things easily became complicated and a trip to the beach on a stormy day for some swimming was a “debacle”. Working without scripts delivered some “beautiful moments” and some flat bits. There’s plenty of material for a grown-ups only version: cleavage shots, ridiculous duets and cheesy ‘Gay School’-style banter. And the adventure’s not over yet. Cousins, nephews, nieces and friends’ kids can all look forward to trips to the mountains, a vegie garden, and laughter club. Punters can look forward to screenings, a launch party and a DVD. More photos from the set of Play Kool can be seen here and here For more information contact: playkool@gmail.com, or 0401 709 356 |
