REVIEW BY ELLA CALLOW-SUSSEX AND ANNA RYLEY
EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT
No one knew what was happening. The long-established traditions of theatre etiquette weren’t going to save us now. We furiously looked around the room for any sign of what was to come. But we needn’t have worried.
Over the course of eight days, an ensemble of students devised and rehearsed a playful and immersive work based on Po Po Mo Co’s “Body First” practice – where attention in devising is paid to the performers and their body with “words second”. The location on our tickets said Union Theatre – but before we could make it through the doors we were greeted with a parade of ducks. Performers replete with hats that resembled bills waggled into the study space to eat duck food, crumpled up paper, tossed from a delighted audience. The performers should be commended as being surrounded by not only audience members but also studying students could have been intimidating. Instead, their commitment imbued the moment with delight and a childlike sense of wonder and community.
After being hyped up by a posse of stylish girls and ushered down the hallway in a clearly requested single file line that throughout the show was messily accomplished by the audience members, we encountered a team of construction and safety crew. The physicality and voice of this crew was remarkable, and their quick-witted comedy kept the audience on their toes. The safety crew continued to serve as a central character in the rest of the performance. This effectively grounded the audience in the internal logic of the fantastic and absurd things happening around them. This was an inventive and intelligent decision on the team’s part. We never quite knew what would be banned next, but it was made very clear that no babies or toddlers were to be put in the recycling bin and all colours other than green were banned from the green room.
It was in the green room in fact that we experienced a particularly captivating and almost meditative scene. The lights (Bronwyn Pringle) were much dimmer and the room much quieter and through careful blocking and timing the audience was enthralled by a different set of performers’ tiny, almost unreal, motions. When one of the performers played the piano, prompting the rest of the room to dance in tiny beams of light in time to the music, it was hard not to be lulled into a sense of peace and togetherness that is often experienced in the playfulness of a green room before the show. We all involuntarily burst into applause before being chastised that there was to be “no getting transfixed in the green room” and were quickly escorted to the next scene.
In a clever contrast to the reflective scene prior, immediately a rambunctious and well-choreographed dance broke out in the Union House dressing rooms backstage as it became clear these were performers preparing for a much bigger show we couldn’t see yet. Performers who, during the dance, also desperately needed to go to the bathroom in a hilarious repeated mime that had members of the audience tapping on the bathroom door alongside them. It was striking how at this point the audience had fully invested in the performance and laughter inspired by this absurdity. We were along for the ride no matter what and credit should be given to the whole team as walking the line between chaos and sincerity is one few manage with the same focus shown in this scene.
The entertainment continued down the corridor, where we, brimming with anticipation, were finally invited into the Union Theatre for the ‘real show’… We lined up along the side of the auditorium, greeted by two lecturers, set upon questioning art and the experience of engaging with art, to the displeasure of three heckling “audience members” who grew in confidence during the brief presentation. As the physicality and expression became more heightened and the shouts of ‘get fucked’ grew in volume, we watched as the lecturers ultimately ran off stage, only for one of the audience to realise, too late, that ‘no, I actually quite liked that’.
As we were ushered onto the stage, we explored the regulations that those who have spent much time inside Union House Theatre have become all too familiar with, with ‘don’t pull on the fly system’, ‘don’t play with the cables’, and sardonically, ‘don’t plug a fork into the sockets’. The minimal dialogue in the safety guides’ characterisation enabled a broader comedy within their physicality, and interaction within the audience. Their ability to respond to offers made by the audience was commendable, using the scope of their role to entertain and delight when their rules were not obeyed.
We were led around to the apron of the stage and lined up, staring out into the rows and rows of seats. Unsure of what we were waiting for, we gazed out in suspense, until the faint sounds of disco started pumping around the space. It was an enchanting shock to see first hands, then feet, arms and legs emerge from behind the seats, moving in a strangely trancelike and mesmerizing performance. The lyrics ‘everybody’s free to feel good’ had never felt so liberating, being captivated by the oddest yet most free and experimental expression. The performers, from seemingly nowhere, conjured disco balls and began to explore their texture, dimension and reflective quality, as the lights interacted and refracted a million beams across the theatre. Then following some magic cue, the performers suddenly ran on stage, joined by the full ensemble, for one final energy filled boogie – leaving the audience with a warmth in their hearts.
For two reviewers who went in relatively fearful, we left Theatre Takeover with great joviality and a reinforced endearment towards the theatres so many UniMelb students call home. The work showed that art doesn’t need to follow traditional conventions of art, dance and performance to be engaging, and for audiences to be entertained.
PHOTOS: Andrew Signor @undersith
Union House Theatre’s Theatre Takeover, facilitated by Po Po Mo Co, was performed for two back-to-back shows on the 3rd of April in the Union Theatre and backstage areas.
Po Po Mo Co is an award winning Naarm based physical theatre ensemble who specialize in devised performance work through a queer feminist lens.
Anna Ryley is a second year Bachelor of Arts student majoring in English and Theatre Studies. When she’s not working on student theatre, you can find her with her camera or working towards reading 100 books in a year.
Ella Callow-Sussex is a theatre maker and reviewer for the Dialog. She is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English/Theatre Studies and Creative Writing.
The Dialog is supported by Union House Theatre.
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