Fight Night: Adelaide Festival Audiences Get The Vote

South Australia is to have a state election in mid-March and many onlookers are finding the political games prior to the big day a little tedious. However, audiences can leave tedium at the door when attending the Adelaide Festival’s Fight Night, in which elections become a theatrical game in a very different, entertaining and totally absorbing perspective on politics.

Adelaide’s The Border Project and Belgian theatre makers Ontroerend Goed have teamed up for an engrossing production that explores the intricacies and traps of voting systems and media-driven democracy. The Border Project (2012 and 2010 Adelaide Festival) is an Adelaide-based contemporary performance ensemble, whereas Ontoerend Goed (2013 Adelaide Festival) presents intimate, individual performances as well as large-scale productions.

“The Border Project has created an international reputation for employing interactive technology that allows audiences to steer the course of the Fight Night,” says Adelaide Festival Artistic Director David Sefton. “They have been talking to Ontroerend Goed since they shared a venue in 2008 at Adelaide Fringe. It’s fantastic to present the Australian premiere of this first time collaboration in the town where they first crossed paths.”

Five rounds. Your vote. One survivor. Written by Director Alexander Devriendt in collaboration with its original cast, Fight Night is a playful and immersive political exploration into our crisis of faith in political processes.

Through the lens of a night of sanitised violence (the sport of boxing, in other words) the audience is led into a twisting and turning popularity contest, placing a spotlight on the cult of celebrity surrounding political leaders.

The audience becomes part of the proceedings, in that they can vote for their favourite ‘candidate’ by using hand-held devices. As per usual in the political world, each candidate fights for the attention of the audience, but in Fight Night the approval-seeking goes as far as pleading and begging for support.

The members of the audience have the power to determine the result; it is they who decide who must leave the stage and eventually, which player will deliver the final monologue.

Performers are David Heinrich, Sophie Cleary, Roman Vaculik, Angelo Tijssens, Valentijn Dhaenens and Charlotte Vandermeersch.

Reviews include-

“An utterly clever political game” **** - De Standaard (Belgium).

“A precarious analysis of the consensus politics our democratic system seems to be stuck in.” **** - De Morgen (Belgium).

Lesley Reed

Bookings: adelaidefestival.com.au or BASS 131 246

Dates:Thurs 13 March- Fri 14 March, 9pm; Sat 15 March, 7.30 pm and 10.30 pm; Sun 16 March, 6pm. Production is one hour 35 minutes, with no interval.

Venue: Queen’s Theatre, Playhouse Lane, Adelaide.

Tickets: $25-$49.

Images: (top) L-R Angelo Tijssens, Charlotte Vandermeersch, Sophie Cleary, Valentijn Dhaenens, Roman Vaculik and David Heinrich & (lower) L-R Sophie Cleary, Angelo Tijssens, Charlotte Vandermeersch, Sophie Cleary and David Heinrich. Photographer: Sarah Eechaut.