Wednesday, 25 September 2013

Cage Reciting

There is a cage in front of the audience. It contains two young women, three skulls and half a mirror ball. The young women are slowly prowling the cage, devouring oranges segments hungrily, stripping flesh from skin and wiping the juice away from their mouths with the swipe of a hand. The stage is plunged into darkness and we begin.
'They Saw A Thylacine' at the Festival Hub in North Melbourne is a performance piece conducted by two young actresses each reciting accounts from people who had encounters with the now-extinct creature also known as the Tasmanian Tiger.
One tale comes from a young female tracker hoping to capture her quarry and sell it to a zoo. The other concerns the story of a woman zookeeper whose family falls on hard times during the Great Depression.
Although it seems slow to get started, both stories intrigue and draw the audience in quickly thereafter.
The lighting at the commencement of the performance is well-judged, slowly elevating from total darkness to a subdued form of lighting which casts the performers on a warm glow. This is animated by the occasional dance of incidental light reflected from the half mirror ball.
This is a show about the arrogance of mankind, our connection with nature and the uncaring treatment of both humans and animals.
Highly recommended.

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