These ‘must-see’ performances are at 7.30 nightly, in the PICA Performance Space at 51 James Street, Northbridge. The season runs until Saturday 19^th November. There is a matinée on Wednesday 16^th November at 11.00 am, and another on Sunday 19^th at 1.00 pm.

The time oscillates between 1981 and the present day. The scene is a Queensland courtroom, a hospital and a skating rink. The design consultant, Lawrie Cullen-Tait and her coordinator, Tessa Darcey wisely decided on minimal distracting scenery, choosing instead to have several, well-chosen props. A circle painted in the centre of the floor represents the roller skating rink. Stage managed by Isabella Strada.

Onto the back wall was projected Nancy Jones’ AV design (Blue Moon Film and Video), subtly depicting young Xan as she overlooked the local boys discussing their sexual desires and exploits, on the dark night that changed her life forever. There were many women describing how their hymen changed.

The music is by respected WA composer, Ash Gibson Greig. The tempo was symbolic of a fast beating heart. His dramatic soundscape was often loud and discordant confirming the instability of the situation.

In a production like this, it is important that the lighting should be punchy and dramatic; Chris Donnelly captured the mood perfectly. Karen Cook smoothly controlled both the sound and lighting.

      As we enter the theatre, a 12-year old girl, Xan (Daisy Coyle) is sitting at the side of a skating rink, putting on her roller skates. She meets a girl from school that she knows slightly, who asks Xan to accompany her at a boys’ party. At the revelry, the boys ply her with alcohol.

       Next, we see a couple of youths discussing the girls, and using dozens of expressions that now make me cringe in horror. 

     We flash forward to Xan Fraser (herself) as an adult, explaining how as an innocent and gullible child she was sucked into a horrendous situation.

      In a disturbing Court scene – taken from actual transcripts and police records – the audience gasp as the male chauvinism of the lawyers and even the judge is exposed. The barrister points out how this naïve child, not even a teenager, was blatantly leading the boys on. However, unlike today’s young teenagers with Internet porn access, Xan had little knowledge of male anatomy, or even a basic awareness of her own sexuality. In the courtroom, the two lawyers (Siobhan Dow-Hall, Marko Jovanovic) presented their cases on the gang rape, but for the warped judge (Nick Maclaine), the case against slut Xan was clear. The verdict he gave was to stun the already riveted, silent audience.

 

With such a delicate and tragic subject, there could be no room for half-hearted acting, and so Hellie has chosen a magnificent team, many of whom have been nominated for awards – including Equities. The power of their performances was heart stopping. With the brief, hard-hitting cameos swinging smoothly over the 35 years, the pace increased most effectively.

In a similar genre to the internationally famous ‘Laramie Project’, the playwright of ‘Project Xan’ has given us a perfect blend of courtroom action, vox-pop, malevolent rumours, facts, bigotry, local rejection and pure brutality.

Playwright Hellie Turner wrote to Xan asking if she could write a play about her trauma and her fight back to normality. Naturally, Xan was worried would she be further humiliated or exploited, and so she did not reply straightway. Gradually, she learnt of Hellie’s genuine empathy, discovering that she is one of the few writers in Australia capable of writing on such a tragic and delicate topic. There is a fine line between presenting the full drama with empathy, and going over the top with sensationalism and sycophantic sympathy. Or even worse, trying to make the script gratuitously scandalous and seedy. Hellie has sensitively presented the source of Xan’s shame, self-blame and the truth behind why the event happened.

Next, could Hellie get Xan to act ‘herself’ in such a demanding play, with the distinct possibility of causing the victim to regress and become distressed? Xan’s family are keen Community Theatre fans, and so she generously agreed. A personal thank you Xan, you made all of the difference to the play. Filled with self-blame, and never having received any counselling or moral support, Xan – who has proved herself a thousand times over with her now successful life – wanted to take part in this a cathartic experience.

Often, men who wear ‘fun’ T-shirts do not really appreciate the upset that some printed mottos can cause. When loss of the rapist’s control due excessive drinking, or the brevity of the rape are quoted in Court as a defence lines, then one has to wonder at the depths of ignorance.

30 years after the events shown, unbelievably Middle East women are still be stoned to death for ‘allowing’ men to rape them. Even the judge, in this ‘civilised’ country, blamed 12 year old Xan for being too inviting – injustice rather than civil justice. When a President seems to be decades behind in his attitude to women, and is still cheered by the masses for recommending ‘grab a pussy’, the world is still worryingly unchanged.

Director Hellie Turner, with Dramaturg by Dr David Williams, have presented this gripping, disturbing and beautifully conceived play; showing today’s girls, who may find themselves in a similar set of circumstances, that there is a sympathetic outlet for their feelings, to have pride in themselves, not to suffer self-blame but to become empowered and to warn others.

As the play powerfully states, the only thing worse than change is the status quo. Sadly, one wonders how far things have improved over the decades – possibly little.

An amazing piece of writing immaculately presented. Many congratulations to all.

Arielle has acted in many major stage productions, often with the leading part, and collecting prestigious awards on the way.

‘The Last Great Hunt’ have taken their previous shows to such diverse places as South Korea, Japan, Germany, Slovenia, Canada and the US.

This 55-minute, jaw-dropping show is being presented by PICA and the 2016 Awesome Festival, in the PICA Performance Space, at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art. There are a couple of performances at various times each day, until 16^th October.

On Saturday 8^th October, there will be a Tactile Tour at 11.45 am, with an Audio Description performance at 1.00 pm.

The set appears simple. There is a black wall with a central window, approx. 1 metre high by 3 metres wide. There are three, black, roller blinds that rise and fall to reveal the various areas and scenes beyond the window. A precisely-positioned projector provides a selection of stunning scenery onto the ensemble.

       When 80-year old Mabel’s husband Arthur dies, she is left alone; and so the widow goes to the Animal Haven to choose a new companion – a scruffy, boisterous puppy. She shares his affection, and he sleeps on the bed with her.

     However, weeks later, on returning from the shops, it can be seen that Mabel is wearing odd shoes. It is obvious that Mabel is becoming senile, and sadly, even forgetting to feed her best friend.

       One day, whilst out shopping, Mabel becomes separated from her fluffy little friend. Alone in the world, what will the little Scots Terrier do? Will he find his way home?                  

(SPOILER for those with very young children – there is a happy ending).

This dialogue-free show is most likely to travel the world, and so to ensure that the simplicity of the story is retained for all nationalities, the creators have included the suggestions of an international – Danish – creative advisor, Søren Højgaard.

The puppeteers, dressed in black onesies and black hoods, provided the sound effects; however, it was Rachael Dease who composed the accompanying subtle music. The backing was often a single instrument, such as a guitar or vibraphone, with a mellifluous ethereal vocal accompaniment.

The main characters of the show are the dogs. They were designed and constructed by Chloe Flockart. Sadly, I have seen so-called puppet shows where characterless, stuffed toys have been bounced around in an attempt to bring a smile. In this production, Chloe and the creators have gone for mobile, active characters with personalities. When every nuance of the animal was exhibited, it was very easy for the children to forget that these puppets were not real, even the adults were completely absorbed. The show was accurately advertised as suitable for children over 7, although I took my 4 year old grandson and he was totally engrossed throughout, even during a darkish patch of the story, towards the end his stare never left the stage. Totally mesmerised.

The inventiveness of Anthony Watts’ sets and gadgets have amazed us in the past, but in this show, the scenery and props were truly exceptional. A television actor has to be extremely precise at ‘hitting their mark’, and this presentation was very similar. With tight lighting, a tiny set, moving backgrounds with which to interact, the stress put on the actors was huge. There could be no leeway for error. With a computerised soundtrack and visuals, there could be no second chances; every move precise and timed to perfection. The puppeteers had to get it right – or crumble.

This show was crammed with magic, and like any good magical act, the secret is in making the whole performance look simple and unspectacular. In one scene, to show the dog’s desolation and isolation, the scenic background expanded into ‘Cinemascope’ and the rain started.

Many of the effects required split-second timing, coupled with accurate puppet positioning – often within a couple of centimetres either way. For two puppeteers to maintain this accuracy for 55 minutes, whilst ‘acting’ and supplying meaningful ‘dog dialogue’ was gobsmacking! All of the usual human theatrical skills also had to be employed precisely and at their very best.

The scenery artwork had outstanding detail, with magnificent perspective. A moving aerial shot really was 3D. The dog convincingly scaled the heights and descended into a warren of tunnels, such was the meticulous artwork and puppetry. The technical / stage manager often gets an obligatory or polite mention in reviews, but I am sure that Liz Newell will have been almost as exhausted as the cast after each show. Brilliant.

Yes, there are heart-wrenching moments in this delightful tale, but be assured, you won’t find a softer wimp than myself when it comes to animals, and I still left with a smile on my face. So treat yourself to this year’s best COMPLETE production and catch this magnificent show.

‘The Last Great Hunt’ is a comparatively new, independent theatre company formed by Western Australia’s best young theatre-makers – named above. They create imaginative theatre in a variety of forms and styles.

The outstanding original soundtrack is by award-winning composer Ash Gibson Greig, who has a wonderful feel for just the right instrument, volume and tempo for each character and scene. In this performance he takes us from gentle, soft strings to a dramatic, full orchestral piece reminiscent of Holst’s Planet Suite (Opus 23), the pounding ‘Mars’.

This highly inventive 55-minute performance, which has been rated more suitable for over 15 year olds by the creators, can be seen at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts performance space nightly at 7.30 until Saturday 11^th October.

 

       It is the middle of the night, and zoological scientist Mary (Adriane Daff) is tucked up in bed. The doona falls off and she finds herself speeding through space. Then, travelling in an air balloon, Mary floats through the dark night and lands on a remote island, the home of biological experiments. It is here that she meets the head scientist (Chris Isaacs). He enlightens her that they still have two eggs from the now extinct genus – ‘bird’.

      Mary and her lab assistant (Arielle Gray) are given the task of hatching these eggs and nurturing them. Can Mary raise healthy normal birds? Or will she hit problems? What is Mary’s lifelong ambition?

In the previous shows, the puppets were small and the operators ‘invisible’. In this much more ambitious production, some of the puppets are the size of the operator. With the shiny nylon, protective lab suits worn by the puppeteers (they usually wear black cotton body suits) and the higher lighting level, some of the magic was lost. Having said that, some of the effects were breathtakingly convincing. Mary’s final flight, the bird running and Henry’s petulance were exceptionally inventive. Many of these technicalities were overcome by Tim’s dad, designer Anthony Watts.

This production started in the usual ‘cute’ way, but then went through a very sad and dramatic stage. The slick and ingenious blend of pre-recorded audio visual, coupled with live video often had one wondering how the magic was performed. As with any magical trick that looks so effortless, the amount of rehearsal, failures and revamping of the idea can be endless.

With such ambitious innovators, and this team are fairly unique in Australia, it may take some time to smooth off some of the rough edges of their opening night, but their sheer genius and daring will guarantee them another major success. With the cinema and TV pumping out computer-generated effects, the expectations from a stage production can be a little unfair; however, I can guarantee you will never have seen anything approaching this in live theatre before. The numerous gobsmacking visual effects, and there must be around a couple of hundred in this single production, were performed at breakneck speed and with immaculate timing.

Another MUST SEE from The Last Great Hunt.