Wild Swimming

This was my first experience visiting the IO Performance space - an otherwise outwardly unassuming, but well-preserved 120-year-old heritage building in the Launceston CBD. In its first incarnation it was the location of the Tasmanian Woolgrowers agency. Immediately prior to the theatre taking residence, it was office space. Even so, the interior has also been well preserved, with great big ornate columns forming a rather perfect four-sided situation within which to create a partitioned theatre space. As pretentious as it sounds, the way this giant, still handsomely-appointed room is arranged - with the theatre space contained within the middle of it, excited the hell out of me. It has to be seen to be believed. So odd, yet so organic. 

As for the production, I’m not sure I could’ve seen a more perfect example of how well this particular performance space rewards the imagination. 

As the title suggests, action takes place at the beach and accordingly the set consisted of really cleverly constructed, tiered, sand dunes - which proved a perfect, impact-absorbing playground in which to stage such a whimsical and highly physical piece of performance art.  

Those gorgeous columns added to the ‘outdoorsy’ feel, especially given the fact that the play meanders through ancient timelines, from the C16th onwards. The ocean was easy to imagine anyway, but some adorable animated sequences projected onto the backdrop further enhanced the watery vibe. 

This text is unorthodox to say the least. It literally bursts at the seams with witty quips and elaborately evocative prose, with a classical cadence - while still maintaining very contemporary (read: sweary) humour and engagingly feminist-fuelled infusions. The structure is part panto (complete with zany audience participation), part absurdist-comedy and part melancholy romance. And just to interrupt the chaotic themes with more chaos, most of the costume changes take place in plain sight, the fourth wall comes and goes and the techie even gets their own cameo. (I don’t know the other theatre works by this playwright, but it was interesting to note he co-wrote an episode of one of my favourite (and most definitely chaotic) UK series from the past year: Rivals.)

One can only imagine how much fun the rehearsals must have been. Massive kudos to Zoe Vandervelde the director and her charismatic, highly professional performing duo of Chris Jackson and Grace Roberts. They somehow managed to make it all look effortless. No notes.

So, what was the play about? So much!  Both overtly and metaphorically. A lot of the narrative is implied - and some is open to interpretation. I could give a dissertation about the relatable, layered relationship dynamics between these two rather dysfunctionally entwined lovers - but this review is long enough.  This production was mad fun to watch and then to chew over the narrative structure and the themes afterwards. 

To sum it up in a sentence: All humans - of all genders - evolve over time…and let’s face it - at our worst, none of us are a day at the beach.

Rose Cooper

Images credit: @eva.dudes