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| Photos by Paul Hood |
A curious play, adapted by Tom Wright from the book of the
same name by Joan Lindsay, it questions what is true reality? Do societal
concepts really hold true when the natural world calls to us? On Valentine’s Day,
1900, Appleyard College (a strict girls boarding school) takes its students on
an outing. As teachers, pupils and other tourists enjoy the savage beauty of
the wilderness, watches stop and a discomforting sense of befuddlement sets in.
Students and a teacher are lost, or did they run away, or are more sinister
factors at play?
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| Photos by Paul Hood |
The atmosphere, created by director Matthew Hope, was
electric. As you walk into the studio, the stage is set in the round, leaning
into the eerie feeling of someone or something always watching. The room is
filled with hazy fog, with soft lighting (Lighting Design, Will Bunn), and
noises (Sound Design, Emily Jeffery) of the Australian outback leading you into
a humid, lazy, hot day. But tensions build as performers work in unison to
deliver an enthralling performance. Actors do not merely perform, but are
possessed by the story itself and act as ensemble to reinforce important
moments. The characters often spoke in the third person. This was particularly
effective when the girls are climbing the rock, adding to the air of confusion.
It’s as if the show does not want you to understand who is who, purposely
throwing you off as wonder and confusion take hold.
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| Photos by Paul Hood |
The cast have their own individual character and yet,
because of the symbiotic nature of the performance, they were often working
as one; it was truly mesmerising. Actors Ashleigh Gloyne, Oryssa Sahota,
Ashton Matthews, Abii Smith and Lauren Urmson all clearly worked excessively
hard to create such perfectly tuned art.
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| Photos by Paul Hood |
An absorbing and disorientating evening that will leave you
with more questions than answers. An exceptional production! Picnic at Hanging
Rock is showing at the People’s Theatre until 17th October.
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