Curtin University regularly has two One Act plays presented
under the banner Sunday Night Theatre in the converted lecture room upstairs at
the Hayman Theatre.
The first of these tonight was a self-devised piece that
explored Fear. An unnamed woman (Rebecca Fowler) battles her demons and doubts
with a “raven” perched on her shoulder. She awakes to find Fight (Ariel
Tresham), Flight (Holly Dodd), Endure (Aaron Smith) and Undermine (Sean
Guastavino) fighting to be the dominant force in her life… or is it all just in
her head?
This is a high energy piece incorporating dance and stylised
fighting between the different impulses with the use of a bongo drum and vibrant
lighting giving the play a real kinetic feel. Fowler is literally torn between
these opposing forces as different scenarios are explored – the drunk on the
train who demands the shoes from a fellow passenger who meekly agrees in the
first instance (flight) but when the scene is reprised chooses to fight which
doesn’t end well for him either.
Fowler’s character at one stage has a lovely
‘courtship’ with Smith’s only to renege as they walk down the aisle. Characters
narrate from the sideline and in this case tell us the figures about domestic
violence against women, a prevalent fear unfortunately in this day and age. The
characters also interact with the audience asking them to name their own fears
before Fowler recites a list that includes rejection, loneliness and various
others.
I really liked the energy in this piece and especially the
ending where Fowler’s character states that her greatest fear is that she will
stop trying. In an age where there is seemingly so much to be fearful of this
was a poignant statement to end the play on.
The space is well used with the actors entering and exiting
from various points and yes, I didn’t even realise I sat next to the lead in
the front row before the play began! Talking to one of the actors afterwards
this took 7-8 weeks with two rehearsals a week to develop. I found it an
interesting exploration of what stops us growing and moving forward and maybe
how a lot of this is indeed in our head.
Directed by Savannah Wood with Dramaturgy by Amy Johnston.
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