Week #19 : 'Tame' by Declan Greene

2012 and 2013 saw the Education department at the Malthouse Theatre create The Suitcase Series for Year Nine and Ten Victorian students with the script Tame.  
Students from all around Victoria have the opportunity in Term 3 to workshop a play commissioned specifically for the Malthouse Prompt series and then attend the theatre and perform sections of the script to other school students; as well as seeing a performance of the same script by the resident actors of the company.

'Tame' - Matlhouse Theatre Actors Production

The script was written by Declan Greene, who also wrote Pompeii, L.A and Moth.  He is the creator of “gay D.I.Y drag-theatre” group ‘Sisters Grimm who won a place in MTC’s inaugural Neon Season (2013) with the group devised project – The Sovereign Wife.

His work Tame is an episodic piece of non-naturalism theatre that explores one family’s predicament and behavioural response to climate change - ‘a slow motion catastrophe’ as described by David Suzuki.

Tame is described on the Malthouse Theatre website –

‘It all starts around the kitchen table.  A visitor from the wild visits and eats more than KFC.  An ungrateful young upstart fights nature with nurture.  And finally, apathy and disorganisation brew discord and then disaster.

Tame presents vignettes of an everyday modern family who seem to be ‘happy camping’ whilst the world changes catastrophically outside.’

And described by Declan Greene himself:

‘Now its eaten the family dog…. Will apathy, disorganisation or their new visitor (a bear?) ever allow this family to leave the house again?’

2013 was the last time that this will be performed at the Malthouse Theatre, as they have commissioned a different script, however still centered around the theme of climate change and in a non-naturalistic style, for 2014 (and possibly 2015).
I have taken a personal interest into this script as I am going to be attending the 2014 Suitcase Series with my own students and I am interested in the way that this process works.  I will be trialing out the Tame script with my first semester students and then work-shopping the new script for performance in Term 3 next year..... 
Wish me luck!!!  It's certainly going to be a bumpy ride!!

Week #18 : 'Falling Petals' by Ben Ellis

I have very much delayed in putting up this post because I am not sure how to start with this play.

Written by Ben Ellis, an (Melbourne – Gippsland) Australian born playwright who has written a few plays, most notably for ‘Falling Petals’ (2002) and ‘Post Felicity’ (2001).  His plays seem to centre on home-life in regional areas in Melbourne and dealing with the locality and small township relationships.
His play ‘Blindingly Obvious Facts’ about American peace activist Rachel Corrie was highly noted in the Melbourne ‘Short and Sweet’ play competition in 2007, featuring in the top 30.

‘Falling Petals’ was first performed at Playbox Theatre (now the Malthouse Theatre) opening on 2nd July, 2003 in Melbourne Victoria.  It won the Wal Cherry Play of the Year in 2002.

The premise of the play is in a town called Hollow in regional Victoria which is in rapid decline socially and economically.  Three teenagers are looking forward to their end of year VCE exams and planning their escape to University in Melbourne.  

The play starts with the death of a young boy from a mysterious disease.  Dubbed the ‘Hollow Syndrome’, the town soon becomes over run with the disease eradicating all the children and teenagers. 

Most of the action takes place near a cherry blossom tree on the outskirts of town.  As Phil, Tania and Sally study under the tree, they watch the petals fall and designate each petal to the other children who slowly die in the town.

Phil Moss is the most dedicated to gaining an entrance score to study in Melbourne; Sally Woods is not as intelligent, but loves hanging around Phil; and Tania, Phil’s love interest is of near intelligence to Phil, but not as dedicated to study as he is.

Another female and male actor play multiple roles as other adults in the town. 

MALE	FEMALE
Dr Franz	Ms Golden – a reporter
Mr Syme – Careers teacher at the local high school	Mrs Woods – Sally’s mum
Mr Mulvaney – the president of the Chamber of Commerce	Gayle Moss – Phil’s dad
John Moss – Phil’s dad	Ms Lawrence – Vice Principal
Mr Worboys – Teacher at high school	Marg Bennett – a psychologist
Jonsey – Border Patrol

 

As ‘Hollow Syndrome’ takes hold over the children in the town, the adults take severe measures to not let the disease spread, they shut down the school taking away the opportunity for Phil, Sally and Tania to complete their VCE.  Sally’s mum takes her own steps and kicks her out of the home.

As you can tell, tragedy ensues and Sally (living outside near the cherry blossom tree) contracts ‘Hollow Syndrome’, Phil becomes blindly incensed in breaking the containment lines around the town and to complete his VCE.  Tania follows Phil along like a blind little puppy and tried to make his wish come true by sexually controlling him to help her study.

Unfortunately this play is hardly produced since its creation. 

The Production Company, a cross-cultural relationship company between the US and Australia (produced in America) performed this as part of their season on The Australia Project.

5 Pound Repertoire Company in Richmond performed this play as part of their repertory season in November/Decemberof 2012.

Apart from these two productions, there is little else about this play to be located on the internet.

I will leave this here, as this post  is 3 weeks late and I have a lot to catch up on!

Week #7 : 'Equus' by Peter Shaffer

The 1973 play Equus by Peter Shaffer deals with the tragic tale about a teenage boy, Alan Strang, who blinds six horses in a quest for sexual freedom from his families constraints on his sexuality.


As the play develops, the other main character, psychiatrist Martin Dysart, tries to unfold what has happened that could forge an irreversible terrible decision in a young boy. As Dysart delves further into Strang's imaginary world, his own life is gradually exposed as stagnant and passionless. As the audience continues to travel further into Equus, we hear the disturbing and terrifying tale of Alan Strang, who, because his religious mother and his hypocrite father, makes his own religion based on horses, the bible and sexual deviation. 
Dysart, is not able to imagine anything like Strange has lived through in his young life as has completely lost his passion for his wife and who walks around carrying an unfulfilled dream about love and devotion.  Despite the horrific cruelty the Strang has delivered to the horses in blinding them, Dysart has an epiphany that this megalomaniac behaviour might just lead to a fulfilling life for some. 

Dysart - "A child is born into a world of phenomena all equal in their power to enslave.  it sniffs - it sucks - it strokes its eyes over the whole uncomfortable range.  Suddenly one strikes.  Why? Moments snap together like magnets, forging a chain of shackles.  Why?  I can trace them.  I can even, with time, pull them apart again.  But why at the start they were ever magnetised at all - just those particular moments of experience and no others - I don't know.  And nor does anyone else.  Yet if I don't know - if I can never know that - then what am I doing here?  I don't mean clinically doing or socially doing - I mean fundamentally!  These questions, these Whys, are fundamental - yet they have no place in a consulting room.  So then, do I?...  This is the feeling more and more with me.  No Place.  Displacement....."

 However Dysart's views have changed in the course of trying to treat Strang, he ends up envying this ability to create and believe in a religion with so much passion and devotion.  But all of this is to no avail as Dysart must confirm to the expectatins of his position as psychiatrist and treat Strang and reintroduce him into the community and an acceptable path that confirms to societal structures. 

Usually performed in a minimalist way, four benches are utilised in varying ways in the stage - As the pens for the hoses and seats for Dysart's office. However mainly in a square configuration within a round stage. This allows the audience to create their own opinions based on the script and performances, rather than the ideas represented though religion and the horses.  The cast sit on the stage and enter the stage area within the square when they are required or when the lines diverge and respond with the flashbacks being observed within the plot - Thus creating a philosophical idea within the themes of societal constraints (trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.)
As per the minimalist set, the horses are always stylised and not to be depicted as real animals.  They are used to represent the god-like symbolic meaning for Strang, his religion and the only way that he can express his sexual desires.  Peter Shaffer clearly explains in the notes at the start of the script explaining how the staging and the representation of the horses.  He explains that at no times should the horses be seen as a literal animal.  never should they crouch on all fours.  They must always stand upright and the effect of the horse needs to be mimetic thorugh the use of the actors head, arms, legs, knees and neck.  Pride should be taken by the actors to carefully place the stylised headpiece in front of the audience with precise timing.

Daniel Radcliffe (oh, dear young - or should I now say 'old' Harry Potter) performed in Equus for London............. To shocking reviews.... I mean, how dare Radcliffe get his kit off on stage (yup, 'Strang' gets COMPLETELY naked on stage to show his devotion to his horses), when he still is contracted with the Harry Potter films..... I applaud him for this decision. As an adult playing a teenage role in the films he chose the perfect moment to extend his repertoire and force his name into the spotlight within theatre.  Opening in early 2007 at the Gielguld Theatre in London, and then making a move to the American Broadway stage in 2008, the director Thea Sharrock chose well.  Her minimalist design captivated audiences along with Radcliffe's portrayal of Alan Strang.  The New York Times reported "Mr. Radcliffe has an air of heightened ordinariness, of the everyday lad who snags your attention with an extra, possibly dangerous gleam of intensity. That extra dimension has always been concentrated in Mr. Radcliffe’s Alsatian-blue gaze, very handy for glaring down otherworldly ghouls if you’re Harry Potter. Or if you’re Alan Strang, for blocking and enticing frightened grown-ups who both do and do not want to understand why you act as you do."

But I digress...

Shaffer has used four key elements within the play script of Equus.  The key elements to bring together this tale of brutality and religion are:

Forms of Greek Tragedy as used in the symbolic nature of the horses and the tragic-hero of Alan Strang... Or is is Martin Dysart?  They both gain epiphanies into their lives (although Dysart more than Strang.)  The horses are described as creating a chorus of noises and distortion that Strang furthers his religion and god-like facination on 'Nugget', the main horse at the stables - His Equus - his God, his Dyonisus.

Using horses as a central image and as a metaphor of crisis.  The horses move in unison and create choral sounds that worsen and relinquish as Strang's emotions fluctuate throughout the course of the plot.

The central ideas of religion and ritual to forge a meaning in ones life.  Strang uses the horses to further his ideas of religion that have been taught by his mother and grown distain with his father.  When Strang cannot perform sexually for Jill, he takes his anger out on the horses and blinds them because he has shamed himself in front of his god and religion.

And finally that the ideas of society and societal norms are the determiners of 'normal and abnormal behaviour'.  Both Strang and Dysart have set determiners on how and why society determine normal behaviour.  Strang knos he doesn't conform to society, so he doesn't even bother trying (I'm not sure he ever tried) and Dysart knows that to hold onto his position as a psychiatrist he must conform to society and turn out patients to what society has determined they should be after treatment - But does he agree with this??


Mockingbird Theatre in Melbourne, Australia just finished a sell out season of Equus at The Brunswick Mechanics Institute Performing Arts Centre.  Aparently it was a brilliant production for a company that is speedily emerging into the Australian arts scene.  I wish I had been able to see it.

Next Week: 'The Dumb Waiter' by Harold Pinter

Week #4 : 'Die Hamletmaschine' by Heiner Muller

For a 9 page script, Die HamletMaschine (or in English - Hamletmachine) certainly packs a massive punch.  A visual feast as well as a thought provoking experience.

Written by German Heiner Muller in 1977, Die Hamletmaschine is a short 5 scene play script that is loosely based on the lengthy text  - Shakespeare's Hamlet, but more on the bare components that make up the tragic tale.  The images are striking and are a great hook for the audience.  For instance:

"Grief gave way to joy, joy into munching, on the empty coffin the murder mounted the widow SHOULD I HELP YOU UP UNCLE OPEN THE LEGS OF MAMA."

"One should sew the wenches shut, a world without mothers."

It is a post-modern script that is open to varying different interpretations.  Some versions focus on the consumerism and the references to such (Coca Cola, "I go though the street malls faces, with the scars of the shopping blitz").  Some performances have focuses entirely on the images and neglected the script.  Some the entire focus is the references to East Germany Communism and and the influential role of intellectuals during that time.  In 1992 a university recreated the text set in meat factory setting with Ophelia hanging on meat hooks...  
There is no right or wrong way to perform this script.  You devise your performance from how the script speaks to you and your actors.  
It has been performed as a radio drama which included a soundtrack by Einstürzende Neubauten.  
Listen to it!  And listen to it LOUD!! I dare you!!!!!


From the opening scene (FAMILY ALBUM) we are introduced to the character Hamlet and are instantly aware of his internal monologue and the links and allusions to the original Shakespearean text.
However, the audience are also immediately aware that the actor playing Hamlet is looking onto himself as a character.  The very first line - "I was Hamlet"  to where he describes himself as an actor "Horatio Polonius.  I knew that you're an actor.  I'm one too, I play Hamlet."

In Scene 4 - PEST IN BUDA BATTLE OF GREENLAND, again we see Hamlet refer to himself as an actor playing a role "I am not Hamlet.  I play no role anymore.  My words have nothing more to say to me.... My drama is cancelled.  Behind me the scenery is being taken down."

In opposition is Ophelia's first line in the second scene (THE EUROPE OF THE WOMAN)- "I am Ophelia".  Muller describes her as having a clock as a heart.  Immediately the audience connects with Ophelia and knows that her time is coming to an end.  The contrast is that 'Hamlet' can look from the inside out and in again, whereas 'Ophelia' looks from the outside in.  She describes her end "I dig the clock which was my heart out of my breast."

In the 5th and final scene - WILDSTRAINING/IN THE FEARSOME ARMAMENTS/MILLENIA Ophelia is onstage alone in the deep sea strapped into a wheelchair with body parts floating past (again a direct link to the original text), she laments that she is not Elektra with her heart of darkness and under a sun of torture.  In this she speaks about burying the revolution and that all will know the truth soon.


Muller has also used capital letters and spacing that doesn't form to the rules of grammar in order to create these visual images.  For instance Scene 3 is nearly entirely all imagery where 'Hamlet' is dresses up as a woman by 'Ophelia' and voices are heard from the coffin. However Scene 1 and 4 are very aural based where 'Hamlet' is speaking directly to the audience as to the dealings within the script and his interpretation of his life and what he believes to be true - or not.

If you haven't had the chance to read the script, I highly recommend that you do.  You can download it here.  I really have only just scrapped the surface of the text in this post. Remember it's only 9 pages long..... but you will be engrossed with it for hours!

Next Week : 'Crave' by Sarah Kane

Week #3 : 'Six Characters in Search of an Author' by Luigi Pirandello

"We have this illusion of being one person for all, of having a personality that is unique to all our acts. But it isn't true. We perceive this when, tragically perhaps, in something we do, we are as it were, suspended, caught up in the air on a kind of hook. Then we perceive that all of us was not in tha act, and that it would be an atrocious injustice to judge us by that action alone, as if all our existence were summed up in that one deed." (The Father)

'Six Characters in Search of an Author' is an absurdist play based on metatheatrical ideas. Six characters walk into a rehearsal in progress asking for an author to complete their story. The characters know what is to happen to them, but they need to play it out in order or it to be complete. The director/producer becomes enamoured with their story and is determined to replay their scenes with the actors of his company.

A paradox in the making? Complete nonsense? Prophetic and life destroying? 

Let us ask the character of the FATHER:

"...if we have no other reality beyond the illusion, you too must not count overmuch on your reality as you feel it today, since, like that of yesterday, it may prove an illusion for you tomorrow."

Confused yet? You're not far off the context of this play. As you start to read, Pirandello lulls you into a false sense of security: The characters story seems to be quite straight forward, the comedy of the actors watching this tragic (and in parts tragically awful) story that embodies traits of Mills and Boons formulaic writing.  Yet it is far from that as we delve deeper into the characters narrative, it becomes more of a 'game' for the Director and acting troupe, but so much more of a life for the Characters. 

The prose is beautifully written in two differing forms - Naturalistic and often comedically colloquial for the troupe of actors and poetical and prophetic for the characters. This alludes to the starkly different natures that Pirandello has specifically created for the audience to disassociate the two halves of diametrically opposed 'reality and make believe'.

Pericles Lewis at Yale University discusses that 'Pirandello’s work plays with the central tension in the modern theater between the desire to create a perfect illusion of extra-theatrical reality on the stage and the contrary impulse to celebrate the very illusoriness of all theater. Modern drama calls attention to the fact that theater is both a representational art, like painting or writing, and a performing art, like dance or music.  The actors on stage are at the same time real people and representatives of fictional characters. One of the startling elements of Pirandello’s play is the separation (which he emphasized in his stage directions) between the “characters” and the “actors.” As the theorist Bert States has written,

"we tend generally to undervalue the elementary fact that theater—unlike fiction, painting, sculpture and film—is really a language whose words consist to an unusual degree of things that are what they seem to be…. Or, as [the playwright] Peter Handke puts it, in the theater light is brightness pretending to be other brightness, a chair is a chair pretending to be another chair,”

and, of course, a person is a person pretending to be another person.'

FATHER (jumping up suddenly): Illusion? I would ask you not to speak of illusion! I would beg you not to use that word. For us it has a particularly cruel ring!
PRODUCER (astonished): For heaven’s sake, why?
FATHER: Oh, yes, cruel, cruel! You really ought to understand.
PRODUCER: What are we supposed to say? Illusion is our stock-in-trade [...]
FATHER: I entirely understand [...] As artists [...], you have to create a perfect illusion of reality.
PRODUCER: That’s right.
FATHER: But what if you stop to consider that we, the six of us (he gestures briefly to indicate the six characters) have no other reality; that we don’t exist outside this illusion!

In 1921 it was greeted with great hostility (and inciting riots in the theatre) in Italy when it was first produced, but soon became heralded as a great piece of Modernist theatre when it was performed in 1923 in Paris, helping to forge the way ahead for Beckett and Ionesco's Theatre of the Absurd.

This play, being in the public domain, has been adapted for the stage many a time. The most recent in Australia or the 2010 Sydney Festival. The team at 'Headlong Theatre' used a docu-drama premise for the very beginning of the play and coupled it with the use of video and white noise to disrupt the flow of the character and actor interaction to establish a sense of authenticity of the falsehood of the situation but also fragmentation of the plot devices.

This play would certainly be a challenging script to adapt for any producer/director/actor, but it would also bring great joy in the triumph of gaining the right mix of contemporary and ancient theatre practices.

Next Week: Hamletmachine by Heiner Muller