Rumbleskin

Rumbleskin is an original play by Naarm/ Melbourne based writer and theatre-maker, Ames May Nunn. Their writing style in this text is very poetic and evocative. It conjures up the kind of vast and mysterious landscapes that characterise the western genre. The choice to explore queer identity via a genre that normally indulges hyperbolic masculinity is an interesting one. Nunn sees this as part of a queer impetus to reclaim this space as transformative and full of possibilities.

The text explores this notion by blending the animal and natural world with the human one, highlighting the tensions that often exist between them. This is beautifully contextualised in a moody set and costume design (Sam Diamond) and exquisitely supported via lighting (Giovanna Yate Gonzalez) and original music (Jacob Diamond). This effectively conjures up the very enigmatic atmosphere of an almost desolate American west.

The characters are extremely well delineated and performed with gusto and expertise. Sunanda Sachatrakul (trucker, young Scratch & stranger) is remarkable in their transformations from one character to the other. Ziggy Resnick (Celia & preacher’s daughter) is fiery and commanding in her presence. Michelle Perera (Rodeo Ruth) effectively captures the borderline between animal and human. Luke Wiltshire (Ditch & Preacher) gives his characters a great deal of soul and Cassidy Dunn (Runaway & Rancher) is fervent and captivating in the portrayal of the contrasting characters.

At times the great execution of these different and intriguing roles appears somewhat adrift in the vagueness of the narrative. The audience needs to be offered more in terms of the folkloristic elements of the story and especially the journey of the individual characters to consolidate and explore the important themes more fully. 

Patricia Di Risio 

Photographer: Kimberley Summer