Alice Vilanculo stars as Riley in Rime of the Second Sister, the last instalment of 45North’s Written on the Waves series.
Written by Ava Wong Davies and directed by Jessica Rose McVay, this final play is configured as a ‘choose your own adventure audio experiment’ asking whether or not stories can save us.
More details can be found here
You’re starring in Rime of the Second Sister, what can you tell us about this new audio play?
Rime of the Second Sister is a wonderfully touching piece that follows the story of two sisters, Riley and Eliza ,on their daily battle of merging the innocence of childhood with the responsibility of caring for a loved one.
What were your first thoughts when you heard it was a ‘choose your own adventure’ style play?
Most times when I watch or listen to a play I think “What would have happened if they didn’t get on that bus, or what if they left 5 minutes before… Both as artists and listeners, you very rarely get to experience the alternative endings, so you can imagine how exciting it must have been.
What’s it been like working on an audio play, particularly one with such a unique set up?
I honestly think audio plays don’t get enough recognition for how transportive they can be as a form of storytelling. Not only doesn’t it limit you to a singular version of a story, it forces you to think of an infinite amount possibilities, and that’s exactly what Ava Wong Davies did masterfully with this play.
This play is explores loss and grief, what’s impressed you most about the way writer Ava Wong Davies, has portrayed that?
What I loved about Ava’s piece is how she married the worlds of Disney and ‘Groundhog Day-esque’ realities in the play. The sisters’ individual perceptions of their world are very different to one another due to age and awareness, but somehow they inherently know the power and importance they carry in each other’s lives.
This is the final play released in this season of Written on the Waves, how does it feel to be closing the season?
It’s quite a wholesome feeling closing the season with a play that has a lot of heart, joy, pain humour and possibilities. I think it rightfully shines a light and speaks true to issues like mental health young carers in an authentic way.
It’s also full circle moment to be closing the season, I had the pleasure on working on ‘CUNCH‘ in the first season which also centred around two female characters at the forefront- so yay!
What would you say to anyone thinking of listening to Rime of the Second Sister?
What’s not to love about choosing where a story goes from the comfort of your own home?
