The Last Great Hunt are a team of young, passionate theatre makers who have just been presented with an opportunity that could change their lives forever. UK theatre powerhouse Underbelly have invited them to pitch a large-scale work for investment. This group of aspirational artists have always been driven by hopes and dreams, but their dreams have never been this big.
The team take the idea for their new show, Le Nor (The Rain), to Edinburgh to pitch to Ed Bartlam, co-founder of Underbelly. Back at home, Perth Festival Artistic Director Wendy Martin is also interested in coming on board and a commission from her would see the team premiere at their first prestigious international arts festival. However, both major investors want to be clear on the narrative and story before signing off on the investment.
The team put all of their resources into Le Nor and won’t have any other work to perform for next season if this show doesn’t go ahead. In a race against time, they are forced to commit to Perth Festival without the Underbelly deal in place, and, when the Underbelly deal falls through, The Last Great Hunt are painted into a corner: having no choice but to make their biggest ever show, for their first ever major festival, for a fraction of what it should cost.
Rehearsals lead straight into the premiere season and it’s a 7-week, 17-person pressure cooker. Visually, the show is starting to look stunning, but as opening night draws closer the mismatch between high ambitions, extraordinary innovations and inadequate budget has created a cocktail for disaster. The team have worked for years on Le Nor, and the day before premiere, it doesn’t look like they are going to make it.
This is a film about a team of exceptionally creative artists pouring their whole hearts into their biggest and most daring project yet. Chaos ensues and friendships are tested as they wrestle the wildest dreams of their lives onto the stage.
