Fitzgerald Coast thespians and theatre-lovers were treated to a theatre feast on October 18-19 in Ravensthorpe.
Sponsorship from BHP Billiton and the Ravensthorpe Regional Arts Council brought Southern Edge Arts (SEA) artistic director Simon Clarke and his troupe of young actors to Ravensthorpe from Albany for the Ravensthorpe Regional Arts Council-organised weekend of theatre workshops and the youth theatre company’s performance of Shiny Things.

 

Youth Theatre Workshop
First up was a theatre workshop for local youth aged from 10-15, which 13 budding actors attended.  Simon Clarke explored the possibilities of the performing arts, with the kids through learning games, performance and storytelling techniques.   From the sounds of the laughter during the afternoon it was well received by all.  Simon congratulated the kids on their enthusiasm and encouraged them to continue with their writing and story telling.

 

 

Shiny Things Production
That night, the talented teenagers from SEA shone their light into a dark avant-garde piece of theatre that they wrote under the guidance of renowned Australian director Lochie McDonald and Mr Clarke and have toured around southern WA.
Mr Clarke said he was pleased with the response to the play.
“I think the primary goal is to give the (SEA) kids the experience of touring the show and sharing their stories and that’s been really successful... the other thing I’ve been pleased with is the response from other kids seeing how possible it is to write their own stories,” he said.

About 50 people attended the Ravensthorpe performance, which the actors said was a bigger audience than in Katanning, where the play’s tour started.
The Ravensthorpe performance pleased the actors, who said they felt more confident, could improvise better and that it was one of their best shows.
This arts council member was left reeling by the play’s darkness as it spared no punches in delving into unexpected territory: the terror of a lost child endlessly waiting for the angel her mother had promised would rescue her if ever she were lost, the horror of car accidents and death.
Unfortunately, the arts council had touted the play as being suitable for children but, because of its subject matter, it was probably more suited to older members of the audience, who seemed to better appreciate its message.
SEA actor Steven Christie (16) said Mr McDonald liked to leave the audience feeling “devastated”.
“It (the play’s conception) didn’t start off so dark, it just developed,” Steven said.
SEA troupe supervisor Delma Baesjou, whose husband Colin Turner used to teach in the area and whose daughter Cassy was in the cast, said the play was quite topical because there had been several fatal car accidents in Albany that had affected some cast members and drama was a way to deal with the issue.
Unusual techniques were used to great effect in the play, including minimal interaction between characters, whose short, sharp monologues were at first seemingly unrelated but slowly came together. It all culminated in the exquisite release of burning tissue paper embers that flared momentarily as they floated and then faded, accompanied by the haunting, mournful sounds of a musical saw, mandolin and the beautiful harmonies of the actors.
The physical use of the actors’ bodies to slap out rhythms was also effective.
Special mention should be made of accompanist Ellie Glen (16), whose divine The Waifs-like voice belied her tender years.
There is no doubting all the actors’ talent, which Mr Clarke has apparently nurtured well.

 

Adult Theatre Workshop
Seven members from Ravensthorpe Players benefited from Mr Clarke’s vast theatrical experience the next day, when they got into the spirit of things and lost their inhibitions after a champagne breakfast.
During the adult workshop, Mr Clarke encouraged the players into weird and wonderful scenarios, including that of two Tasmanian she-devils giving birth and fighting, plus a news host interviewing, via a translator, a gobbleydook-speaking jockey who’d entered a seahorse in the Melbourne Cup.
Mr Clarke also taught Laban techniques that break down movement qualities.
Participant Kelly Horsington, last seen as Minerva in Ravensthorpe Players’ production Murder’s in the Heir, said the workshop was “awesome”. The small group was good because it enabled participants to “let loose” without feeling like anyone was judging.
“I thoroughly enjoyed it,” she said.
Bettina Bowling