Hoods - Barking Gecko Arts (17 May 2025)

My mantra when it comes to expectations for any show is simple:

A good story, well told.

A large part of achieving this is establishing the authenticity of the world in which that story takes place. This allows the actors to inhabit their characters truthfully, play freely within the space that has been created, and immerses the audience in the reality of whatever the given circumstances are.

 
The design elements in Hoods are an outstanding example of this. From the set design depicting a segment of society in decay, to the bold and creative lighting design that highlights the obstacles facing the characters, and the subtle layering of sound which adds to the realism of the plight we are confronted with.

That plight is two children - Kyle (Joshua Everett) and Jessie (Natasha Pearson) - who are left in the family vehicle with their baby brother in a carpark near a train station and highway. Mum has told them not to get out of the car which Kyle takes to heart while Jessie, concerned about the baby and desperately needing to pee, wants to leave.

 
The family situation is teased out as the children imagine they see other people from their parents to a kind teacher and a security guard amongst others. We slowly come to learn why the mother has taken such drastic action and it's heartbreaking, all too real, and compelling.

Everett and Pearson give superb performances on multiple levels - realistically playing children and squabbling siblings; portraying adult characters in either flashbacks or imagined encounters with a childlike exaggeration; and embodying the exuberance of play with Kyle in particular resorting to mimicking video games to cope with the situation.

 
Then there is the sheer physicality of the acting which is where such a tactile set comes in. The two actors dodge and weave, prance and cavort on old tyres, through wooden slats, with movable blocks effectively creating the vehicle and, later, a servo where the children try to contact their mum.

There is real tension established throughout. Where is mum? Why did she leave them? Will the baby survive? The callousness of the servo employee had me jittery throughout that interaction. Everett's brief depiction of the dad is genuinely disturbing as is Pearson's response as the mum who has to play along for the sake of the children. It's not an easy watch but I was totally immersed in the world of the drama and the fate of Kyle and Jessie because of the sheer craft and attention to detail on display.

 

Some examples: the barking dog sound effect is so damn good my brain for half a second thought it actually was a dog off-stage. The subtle background noise of trains and suburbia is beautifully realised. The lighting to create the illusion of cars passing back and forth on the highway they have to cross induced fear for their safety. The change from the colder night time to the bright glare of the daytime sun beating down made me feel the heat. Helped by the sweat pouring off the actors from the relentless movement. The reveal of the chip packets and other junk food when the car turns into the servo. The moment the baby cries made me gasp. Every time Everett places a plastic bag over his head with Kyle threatening to asphyxiate himself when he doesn't get his way is devastating.

 
It's all intricately constructed using the video game metaphor to pause and rewind and replay key moments as we jump back and forth in time. Crucially, the story is set in an era before smartphones so having enough change to make a call from a phonebox becomes a critical factor. When the resolution comes there is a sense of relief but it is hard won which is testament to the storytelling and its execution.

 
I was totally invested throughout this hour-long tale. It grabbed me from the start and didn't let go as we are taken on a roller-coaster of emotions, expertly depicted. Playwright Angela Betzien pulls no punches in exploring abuse and neglect from the childrens' perspective, doing so with compassion and intelligence. Director Andrea Gibbs pushes the pace relentlessly and Everett and Pearson rise to the challenge in impressive style. Set and Costume Designer Sam Knox, Lighting Designer Peter Young, and Composer and Sound Designer Tim Collins all do stellar work in creating a world you lean into as an audience member.

 
This is a superb show that should find great success as it travels throughout the state and engages with young people in particular.

FootyBoy - Wallaby Blue Company (2 February 2025)

Ah, that great Australian pastime, supported by governments, the media, big business and sees millions of people flocking to the theatr-- um, the football every year. Yes, I love my theatre AND my footy. Sure, I was feeling somewhat marginalised as an Eagles fan watching Dockers highlights on the big screen before the show started. But I can forgive such wayward transgressions... in a day or two.

Okay, down to business and this is a fusion of two of my loves so chances are I was pretty much in the bag for this straight away. There's a raucous crowd in attendance with lots of familiar faces from a certain training academy I hear is pretty good. 

The show sets me up with a beautiful misdirection early on, poking fun at the whole "sport is war" trope which I loathe (no, no it isn't). There's affection and cheekiness here before a serious thematic strand emerges pretty early on - this is about fathers and sons dressed up in a sports metaphor which also explores the mental as well as physical side of competitive sport. My Field of Dreams, Hoosiers, and any number of sports movies-loving brain kicks in and I'm feeling it.

The story trajectory is well trodden as most sports tales are. It's the characters who are the differentiating point and some rather spectacular choreography that is frenetic and precise with a footy in hand and not one single drop. Which I have to say, given how furious the movement becomes at times, is worth BOG honours and three Brownlow votes. No, I'm not going to explain that to the people in the audience who alarmingly claimed to "know nothing about football" as we were filing out. 

That's the thing about sport though. You don't need to know because football may not be war but it IS great theatre. They just have much bigger venues then your standard theatre. Oh, and all that sponsorship and media coverage and... sigh... I digress. 

The story in short: star player for the Dolphins James "FootyBoy" Chappell (Michael Kavanagh) suffers a knock that takes him down to his own sunken place where his father, football legend Bill Chappell (Brad Francis) awaits. The son suffers by comparison to live up to the legend who hectors him to be better and claims ownership of his achievements. There are two arcs here - will James become his own man and will Bill see the error in his ways? As Fremantle doyen Chris Connolly might have once said, it's all about the journey. 

Meanwhile team captain Hands (Alice Schlipalius) - in this world the AFL and AFLW have seemingly merged into a super league - motivates the other players, Butter (Summer Rule) and Cox (Jai Craig-Fraser) with positive reinforcement, self-affirmations, and the use of crystals. She herself deals with a back injury which leads to... you can pretty much guess where that's heading but it doesn't matter because everything is done with great flair and humour. 

Schlipalius milks the sincerity in the "straight man role"; Craig-Fraser brings a goofy physicality and charm; with Rule showcasing exceptional comic timing, letting beats breathe in a very funny performance. Kavanagh gets the emotive arc which he handles well while Francis lends a little mongrel to Bill before a startling transformation. I don't know which cornfields his ghost has been hanging out in but it's waaaaaay funkier than Shoeless Joe's!

My only quibble is that there seemed to be a beat missing. Bill's arc is clear but the catalyst for the change is not there for mine. It felt more out of story convenience than character. Having said that, the subsequent scene is affecting but it's one thing I'd look at in the writing. What brings him back to his son? Otherwise the ending is every footy players' fantasy - to [redacted] which leaves everyone with a feel good sensation at final bows. 

I enjoyed this a lot. It's funny, fast and furious; shows clear affection for the sport and the types of characters who inhabit that world. There's a serious message under the humour about how our mental health can be adversely affected by expectations and negative reinforcement; how we can better manage that; and the power of forgiveness.

FootyBoy is directed by Art Walsh, David Blue, and Natasha Pearson with a relentless pace and energy. Walsh and Blue are also co-writers. The show is on at the State Theatre Centre as part of Fringe World until 8 February. 

TILT 2024: Program Two - WAAPA (19 September 2024)

The Blue Room Theatre situated in the city's cultural centre is at the heart of independent and experimental theatre in Perth. It is the natural home for the third year performance makers from WAAPA who will go on to create daring and original work for venues like this throughout the country and beyond after they graduate. 

TILT is the annual showcase of the prowess of these students undertaking a Bachelor of Performing Arts and is conducted over two programs. I caught up with Program Two. What a diverse collection of devised works it is too - from a Western parody to an intermedial exploration of connection; a chilling interrogation of what fate may mean as a young woman; a stylised movement piece; and the inner voices in our head that affect our moods for good and bad.

The beauty of short works like this is that they are open to interpretation. What I took away from each section may differ from other people for any number of reasons. Part of the experience, therefore, is the discussions afterwards with the students, staff, and other audience members as we ponder meaning, themes, and execution. I have to say, what a great way to spend a spring evening! It's a safe space for the devisers and it was encouraging to see so many students from other streams such as music theatre and acting in the crowd. 

We kick off with Cowboys and Indians which initially is a jarring transition from a forthright and respectful Acknowledgement of Country. Our hero, Sketch (Fletcher Scully) sets off to find his missing mother after discovering she's Native American. Any misgivings about referencing another indigenous culture soon dissipate as it quickly becomes clear this is more a Blazing Saddles style parody. Sketch is joined on his quest by a feisty Tiahna Johnson as they encounter a couple of hapless, would be robbers (Sam Rumpel and Rueben Mongoo) whilst trying to dodge the legendary Lake-bound Lawman (Kurtis Brown). 

This short tale directed by Shontae Wright leans into many of the expected tropes of the American Western with a knowing wink, a southern drawl, and a healthy dose of physical performance from boot scootin' to mock fight choreography and pratfalls aplenty. It didn't quite stick the landing, feeling more like the beginning of Sketch's quest. No doubt, sometimes at night, when I'm sitting around a campfire eating beans, I'll wonder, "how'd ol' Sketch get on findin' his ma?" It's a funny and quirky beginning.

Next up is the conceptually intriguing Road Moving attributed to director/deviser Isobel Finnie. Here, two audience members respond to requests screened on the wall via a data show as Finnie types an amusing screed that is part commentary on modern anxiety and the need for connection plus a strong improvisational aspect as she reacts to rapid-fire typos and the actions of the two participants. Sitting right next to Finnie, I was charmed by her genuine joy at unexpected beats and a clear sense of personality through typed words. It's a fine example of doing more with less in the, well, usually, black box space at the venue (all white for this run).

After interval is a beautifully written and performed piece that is impressive in its thematic cohesion and indignation called Femoid. This is an exploration of the horrendous ramifications of Incel culture on young women and is genuinely harrowing in parts. The sense of unease is magnified by the projection of verbatim messages from chat rooms and excellent use of discordant music. Writer Iris Warren sets up a striking and unexpected motif that comes from Caesar crossing the Rubicon in 47 BC with the saying Iacta Alea Est (Let the die be cast) which is paid off in stunning fashion. There's also the provocative use of the word 'fate' throughout that is eventually turned on its head. Directed by Izabella Day and performed with precision by Iris Warren, Roisin Wallace-Nash, and Natasha Pearson, Femoid has an urgency and power that is compelling.

This is followed by The Sink, all stylised movement and exaggerated expressions when the performers periodically emerge from underneath a huge, translucent fabric that shimmies and glides with their efforts. This one is perhaps most open to interpretation. I initially thought this was the birthing process of some supernatural form of creature before settling on the creation of life itself as another audience member remarked, from primordial ooze. Whatever your take, it showcases the importance of the human body and its movement as an integral part of the performance maker's arsenal. Directed by Lucy Nunn and performed by Jiarui Lin, Emily Jenkins, Kurtis Brown, Oliver Clare, and Talia Zipper.

The program closes out with Eat Shit! notable for the demolishing of an apple and the threat of likewise happening to an onion, Tony Abbott style! I loved that the two performers - Oliver Clare and Iris Warren - supplied their own sound design; the former with the slurping of glasses of wine, the latter with the crunch of that apple being devoured before the lip-smacking cleansing of fingers. What transpires felt to me like the dramatic representation of the internal monologue we all carry on in our head every day and how that can be corrosive like a worm eating us from inside. But also the power of positive self talk to get us out of a rut. Directed with moments of mischief by Henry Kent this, again, is one to ponder!

An enjoyable evening witnessing the realisation of original works and for the discussions afterwards, TILT runs until 21 September at the Blue Room.

Cast photos by Stephen Heath Photography