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Interview: Lucas Proudfoot

Jake's Art Adventures was lucky enough to sit down with Lucas Proudfoot of Proudfoot Productions to talk about their upcoming production, Proudfoot & Friends playing at QPAC for a limited time 8-11 March 2024!

What sparked your interest in performing? 

It was a combination of seeing my family sing and play guitar growing up, along with being part of a cultural dance group at school. These experiences really helped build my confidence as a performer. The feeling after a show was amazing. It’s been something I’ve strongly connected with ever since I was a young lad.

What was the development process for Proudfoot & Friends?

Having performed around 1500+ shows over the last decade in schools and kindies across Australia, I’ve been able to test and refine my material on a regular basis. The 'seven years and under' audiences are very honest, so having this face-to-face sounding board has helped shape the Proudfoot & Friends story world.

What has been the most rewarding parts of creating this show? 

Sharing the show with my family and friends, along with my community. There’s also a phenomenal team behind the scenes that has brought this story world to life. Sharing the ride with them has been amazing. 

What is it like performing for children rather than adults?

It’s amazing! Seeing their smiling faces is great. But most importantly, you need to match their energy and know when to push and when to pull back. It’s a balancing act from start to finish as they like to interject at the most random times. Keyword… ‘random’! I encourage new performers into this space, to embrace the random 😊

Can you tell us a little about performing with puppetry and digital elements in the show?

This is truly a unique offering because the animated characters who appear on-screen can interact with not only myself but the audience as well. This is all via digital puppeteering technology which is controlled in ‘real-time’ via a handheld ‘game controller’ backstage. Our Technical Director is a master with this, having some 300+ cues to deliver throughout each performance. Timing for myself is the main factor here, but we’ve created a format that allows for natural spontaneity between the characters and me.

First Nations stories are integral to Australia's arts landscape; how does it feel sharing your story about caring for country to the next generation of Australia?

Caring for Country relates to all of us as a nation. Being proud of where you come from and looking after the place you call home is very important. Simple things like making sure you leave the beach or park the way you left it and respecting the flora and fauna that also live alongside us. Proudfoot & Friends shares these subtle themes through music, story, song and dance.

 Proudfoot & Friends performs at QPAC's Cremorne Theatre from Friday 8 March to Sunday 10 March, tickets can be purchased at qpac.com.au

Watch out for our review next month!

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