Courtney Rose Brown
Power Plays, directed by Leo Gene Peters, is part of the Ensemble Impacts 2016 school tour. The team of four performers: Katrina Wesseling, Calvin Petersen, Johanna Cosgrove and Shane Murphy have helped devised a structure around five of Arthur Meek’s plays to give bite sized servings of The Cottage, Charles Darwin: Collapsing Creation, On the Upside Down of the World, Mando the Goatherd, and Sheep. The cast present a satirical spin on the works, framing the extracts within the familiar form of a self improvement seminar as the audience is cast as students studying NCEA standards.
A fast pace is set up and maintained through the show as the actors lead us through a whirlwind of realities. The audience is welcomed into Vogelmorn Bowling Club (an up and coming performance space and long standing community venue) under a frenzy of preparation for the seminar. The use of direct address throughout often gives moments the humour and freshness of improvisation. The performers make the audience feel comfortable and most importantly switched on.
Set in traverse, technical elements of the show are removed. There is no lighting or sound design, however the stage is covered with coloured cardboard boxes and loose sheets of paper. In addition to its role in the set and costume design, paper is also a device that helps produce soundscapes and characterisations where simple gestures become strong signifiers. Additions to costumes are used sparingly when paper is attached to hems, often highlighting key content in extracts.
In between each extract, the performers in the seminar reality struggle to find forms confirming changes in social inequalities that are apparent in the extracts.This results in hectic moments where more paper is thrown around the stage, reinforcing the intensity of performance. In the middle of this chaos, changes in rhythm are striking. Rare moments of stillness heighten the emotional intensity. In particular, during Sheep, the confessions from the women present vulnerability that is heart sinking.
There is one more night of Power Plays in Wellington and one more week left of their school tour. Don’t miss out on their high energy and comedic spin on NCEA education, on at 7pm Thursday the 23rd with koha entry.
Set in traverse, technical elements of the show are removed. There is no lighting or sound design, however the stage is covered with coloured cardboard boxes and loose sheets of paper. In addition to its role in the set and costume design, paper is also a device that helps produce soundscapes and characterisations where simple gestures become strong signifiers. Additions to costumes are used sparingly when paper is attached to hems, often highlighting key content in extracts.
In between each extract, the performers in the seminar reality struggle to find forms confirming changes in social inequalities that are apparent in the extracts.This results in hectic moments where more paper is thrown around the stage, reinforcing the intensity of performance. In the middle of this chaos, changes in rhythm are striking. Rare moments of stillness heighten the emotional intensity. In particular, during Sheep, the confessions from the women present vulnerability that is heart sinking.
There is one more night of Power Plays in Wellington and one more week left of their school tour. Don’t miss out on their high energy and comedic spin on NCEA education, on at 7pm Thursday the 23rd with koha entry.
