Reviews

Here’s a great American play about two troubled blood brothers, exact polar opposites, whose savage relationship reveals much of America’s pent-up resentments. First produced in 1980, it demonstrates the tremendous rage of writer/actor Sam Shepard when he was dealing with betrayal and disappointment. The writer of over 50 plays, he died in 2015, and his temper was well known. This tempestuous play goes some way to revealing why.

There are 17 multi-talented performers graduating from the QAEMT this year and you can see their showcase performance at the intimate Tony Gould Gallery at QPAC – a great chance to see tomorrow’s stars up close and personal. It’s difficult showing off their triple-threat dance moves in such a small space, but it is perfect for imparting their strengths in acting and singing. I thoroughly enjoyed all the performances, so I am not going to single out any one performer.

Unveiling Shadows sets your expectations from the moment you enter the theatre. What you’re about to see will be imaginative, artistic, and risky. The stage is littered with white chairs, some cut to appear if they’re mid-motion and emerging from beneath the floor, others stacked precariously in sculptural piles. A few black chairs and chair parts hover from the ceiling, like shadowed sentinels. The rear is veiled in colourless plastic sheeting, draped thinly over parts of the set so that it becomes both surface and scrim, functional and ghostly.

Stephanie Lake Company was founded in 2014 by award-winning Stephanie Lake, a Canadian-born Tasmanian who is now based in Naarm/Melbourne. In the last 10 years, the group has taken their striking physical style to the world’s stages. Stephanie was resident choreographer of the Australian Ballet in 2024 and artist in residence for Semperoper Ballet in Dresden in 2025. Her company of dancers are athletic and reflect a refreshing mix of cultures and styles, each individual mesmerising as they energetically command the stage.