Sam Enthoven on The Old Black Door

Sound artist, musician and event creator Sam Enthoven tells us about The Old Black Door, the first in our series of interviews with theatre makers taking part in the Bloomsbury Festival 2022.

Tell us a bit about your show

In The Old Black Door two wonderful storytellers – Laura Sampson and Polis Loizou – will conjure for you an hour of grow-up folk and fairytales on the theme of mortality. I’ll be creating live sound accompaniment with sinister sonic contraptions including a uniquely eerie instrument from the dawn of electronic music – the theremin. Topping and tailing the show, our special guest Adrian Taylor will perform the gorgeous song he wrote that gives it its name. Come! It’s going to be amazing! :DD

Tell us a bit about you and the company

I’m Sam Enthoven. I used to be a children’s author, now I’m a sound artist, musician and event creator. Lately (under the name Sinister Masterplan) I’ve been exploring the places where sound and story meet, and The Old Black Door is the latest result. When Laura, Polis and I all last performed together, at this year’s Buxton Fringe Festival, we were nominated for two awards and a reviewer described the show as “a marvellous spooky evening for the audience… fantastic soundscapes turn a great evening of storytelling into a must-see event.”

What’s your favourite moment in the performance?

All my sound accompaniment for the stories is improvised and created in the moment, live on stage. I know broadly what tales the tellers will tell, but everything else is up in the air: it’s all about listening and responding and making something completely new for the first time, right in front of you. Each show is unique. It’s thrilling!

What do you want your audience to take away from it?

After the last few years we’ve had I think we all feel our mortality more than before. I’d like this show to give people ways to think about and deal with that. Do you deny it and try to put it out of your mind? Do you rage against it? Or do you try to make friends with it?

What does taking part in the Bloomsbury Festival mean to you?

This will be the third show that Laura and I have been invited to perform at Bloomsbury Festival: we love it. Our second, The New Mirror, was in 2020, to a very select audience for obvious reasons. We’re looking forward to gathering a crowd again. :D

Is there anything else you’re looking forward to seeing in the festival?

The sheer variety of what’s on offer at the festival is always impressive. I’m excited about picking something random and surprising myself!

The Old Black Door is presented on 15 October at RADA studios London as part of the Bloomsbury Festival 2022 https://bloomsburyfestival.org.uk/events/the-old-black-door/
For more about Sinister Masterplan check the website: https://www.sinistermasterplan.com