The Lonely Playground

WAYTCo, The WA Youth Theatre Company, presented The Lonely Playground, a devised theatre piece for FringeWorld.

Perhaps slightly a misnomer, The Lonely Playground is set on a bus – an exploration of loneliness, relationships and interactions in the playground/journey of life. I imagine that the play developed in a different direction from what was originally intended – a peril of devised theatre that needs to be titled months in advance.

Quite an extensive set for a Fringe show in a shared venue, designer George Ashforth has created an effective set, which includes a bus interior, very ably recreated each performance under the supervision of Stage and Production Manager Laurie Mcainsh.

The show consists of a series of vignettes, as we travel on the bus with 6 very promising young performers. Most of these young actors are making their stage debut, but perform with confidence and create a series of distinct and believable characters.

Direction by Scott Corbett was tight and the show moved at a lively pace.

Keep your eyes out for Amy Tamati, Ruby Meegan, Hannah Davidson, Laura Pitts, Shaun Johnston and Sun-Mi Clyburn. I expect that we will see more from these talented teenage performers.

Kimberley Shaw