The Australian Stage 10 December 2011
Earth | WAYTCo
Written by Julia Hern
Saturday, 10 December 2011 18:17
Left – Liam Graham
One of my friends updated his facebook status after seeing this production. It said something along the lines of “Earth gave me an artistic hard on”. I thought this was an apt description given the nature of the, often sexually driven, devised play by WAYTCo.
Within the first few minutes of the show, it became evident that all 8 of the young people in the cast had well and truly passed “Acting 1.01”. To qualify for WAYTCo, they need to be under the age of 27 (with the youngest in this production probably being about 19), despite this, they’ve acquired impressive CVs and there is already a wealth of experience among their ranks.
The first section of Earth gave us a somewhat voyeuristic perspective of a group of young people with a creative mission. Dressed in matching red tracksuits, the cast started by explaining what this play would or wouldn’t be about. Acting as a heightened version of themselves, they quibbled, suggested, interacted and workshopped, saying plenty and nothing simultaneously. Random and gratuitous though some scenes were, it was exciting, funny, moving and unpredictable. I found this portion of the production to be the most interesting.
The second section, while beautifully delivered with skill and creativity, was stock standard youth theatre. Each of the 8 actors did what they said at the beginning they wouldn’t. They indulged in traditional youth issues, like sex, belonging and relationships.
For the last few months, the actors have been keeping blogs for an alter ego they were developing. From each of the blogs sprung a monologue, based on the issues of the character they had built. Strung together with a unified voice by director Jeffrey Jay Fowler, and interspersed with the ambient architecture of sound scapes and general discussion between the actors, it was easy to allow each character to draw us into their moment in time.
Where Earth really excelled was in the way that they tackled heavy issues with intense commitment one moment and then superficial farce the next. They allowed the audience to decide what their reaction would be to each approach, and the topic itself. In his Director’s notes, Jeffrey Jay Fowler states that the “theatrical scaffolding is still visible”. One of the most humorous examples of this for me was at the conclusion of the play when one actor asked us “did you like it?” This dissolved into a discussion about taboos and post-show theatre foyer etiquette.
I’m pleased to report that the last few shows of Earth are sold out because it is a piece that thrives on the energy of the viewer. The first of a trilogy, Earth sets a high standard and I will certainly be keen to attend the next two plays in the series, Wind and Fire.
THEATRE AUSTRALIA www.theatre.asn.au
Reviewer: Gordon the Optom December 7th 2011
A group of actors run onto the stage, wearing their bright red, nylon tracksuits. Then, in a wonderful example of synchronicity, they explain how they are about to perform a play about ‘the earth’. They look eagerly for the audience’s reaction, and then the facial enthusiasm is seen to fade as they realise that the punters are staring blankly back, waiting to be entertained.
The play starts by relating the feedback they get from friends and family in relation to their being actors.
A young actress (Siobhan Crabb) steps forward and talks about the performance that she has just finished. Her well-meaning mother (Megan Hollier) sympathetically pats her on the shoulder and says ‘At least you tried’, and then goes on to remind the poor girl how her successful friend has become ‘an accountant’. Her father (Iskandar Sharazuddin) is far more supportive, perhaps too much so!
A friend (Thomas James Vowles) finds the whole acting scene extremely stressful and suffers a nervous breakdown.
On his way home from a party, a young man (Cody Fern) is worried about the safety of a girl (Lauren Lloyd Williams) walking the streets in the dark, and offers her a lift in his car. This is a move he rapidly regrets. She turns out to be a vegan, tree hugging, women’s lib supporter and staunch supporter of another half dozen causes that she is determined to stand-up for, even if no one asks. Another girl (Alex Malone) at the party describes her sexual fantasy with a gorgeous man (Liam Graham), but is he gay?
The play goes on to point out the horrendous self-interest of the world’s ‘powerful’ and their incredible ability to ignore the suffering of the people, animals and vegetation of the fragile planet. Jeffrey Jay’s writing is outstanding, as he gets straight to the roots of the problems showing the hypocrisy of the general population.
Jeffery Jay is renowned for his inventiveness. A few months ago, his production that dealt with the various kinds of drinks was totally novel, and went on to win an award. Now we have another great idea. The eight performers have been gathering and probing their alter egos for months, to produce this collection of teenage outlooks. There is a great deal of humour, blended with an acerbic message. The topics and language may not be to your grandmother’s liking, but the dialogue is true to life and filled with interest. There are literally dozens of sensitive subjects discussed.
With the help of assistant director Isabella Moore, Jeffery Jay has produced a slick, fast moving 80-minute production. The pace galloped along as the team, in turn, related their own monologues.
Lighting designer, Glyn McNamara has produced a design that at first glances is quite simple, but is in fact complex. For example, whilst talking about a shopping centre, the girl walks outside and there was a subtle increase in the brightness level coupled with a colour temperature change as the indoor fluoros went and the sun took over. The production manager, Emily Stokoe, has carried through the theme of the world being born equal, by having identical props and costumes for the cast.
If any one runs an acting school, or wishes to teach actors about character study, demonstrate different moods and conquer clever timing, this is a brilliant piece to use in the training.
Another quality, innovative piece of writing, congratulation Jeffrey you have done it again.
The West Australian 5 December 2011
Strong, focused action
Theatre
Blue Room: This performance runs until December 10th at 8:30pm 
Review: Robin Pascoe in The West Australian Monday December 5th 2011
Eight young people in vivid red tracksuits march onto and off-white square of carpet and sharply draw in breath as they eyeball the audience. The WA Theatre Company’s first production in an Earth, Wind and Fire trilogy announced its intentions with humour mixed with wry self-referential directness.
The opening ensemble section of the play used repetition, vocal rhythms, controlled use of face and gesture and a sense of playfulness to frame the action. It ironically dismissed the sometimes-criticised commonplaces of contemporary youth theatre (sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll), though there was still a tendency in paces to go for shock value (possible grandparent alert).
Megan Hollier and ensemble in EARTH
With the tracksuits shucked off in favour of street clothes, the action moved to eight sensitive character-driven monologues – some of which need editing but each with power and a sense of character journey. In future explorations in the trilogy it would be interesting to see the development of duologues, more often the basis for drama.
In an ensemble it is difficult to single out performers who shared the space so well. Alex Malone handled challenging material sensitively. Iskandar Sharazuddin had engaging comic presence. Thomas Vowels managed transitions between calm and anger perceptively.
The tight ensemble of performers gave strong focused performances under the direction of Jeffrey Jay Fowler. It is good to see WAYTCo nurturing a young emerging director and writer who has capably brought to the stage the best from the young cast.
The play posed interesting questions: what is the subject matter for devised youth theatre made by seemingly middle class white kids in Perth? What are the things that matter to this group of young people and beyond them to others like them? It is tightly scripted and constructed and rewards the audience by paying off jokes set up in the opening section.
Overall this was satisfying, intimate and interesting theatre with maturity and bite.
ARTSHUB 6 December 2011
Earth
By Nerida Dickinson ArtsHub | Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Earth, Thomas Vowles
Earth is a Western Australian Youth Theatre Company production, featuring the talents of company members, both performing and in technical work, all under the age of 27. It is the first performance of the Earth, Wind and Fire trilogy, which will be created and performed over the next three years.
Any further details of the show will be spoilers, so if you like to approach works in the spirit intended, please avoid this and any other coverage of the production beforehand.
Commencing with a self-consciously static tableau, standing in a straight row and wearing matching shapeless red tracksuits and grins that were held a little too long, the cast of eight gave us our first taste of the embrace of awkwardness that featured through the work. The cast “workshopped” the concept of a play about Earth, after filling us in on the background of the theatre company, introducing the work of the director and then gradually distracting themselves with wilder and more far-fetched ideas.
The group then explore further some physical and conceptual theatre, returning to the ‘Earth’ concept each time they realise how far their imaginings have taken them off track.
The next part of the performance saw the uniforms removed, and performers outfitted for their monologues. Each of these saw the portrayal of part of the life of various personae as developed through blogs kept by the performers/devisers. As well as allowing individual actors to demonstrate their dramatic range, these pieces saw further tight ensemble work as the rest of the cast came into play as chorus or scenery as needed.
Within the monologues, cast members made the most of celebrating their lives and the lives of their personae, leaving a succession of descriptions of life in Perth at the present time. A few wordy sections revealed the pieces’ blogging genesis, but in the main they were presented with an exuberant good humour. An inspired piece of technical work had all cast members sitting in the dark, with their faces lit up by their smart phones, setting the scene for the next monologue.
Earthwas a constantly changing, but very appealing production. The cast bravely embraced the “youth” element of WAYTCO and made it a feature of the performance, self-parodying contemporary stereotypes of youth and youth theatre. The depth of talent and commitment of the cast to a well-developed script made this element a strength of the show rather than coming off as a jejune gimmick.
In the end, after many Gen Y-style digressions, we may have seen a play about “Earth”, but we have definitely been entertained and reassured that the future of the performing arts in the West is in capable hands.
Rating: 4 stars
WA Youth Theatre Company presents
Earth
Writer/Director: Jeffrey Jay Fowler
Assistant Director: Isabella Moore
Stage Manager and Production Manager: Emily Stokoe
Lighting Designer: Glyn McNamara
Performers/Devisers: Siobhan Crabb, Cody Fern, Liam Graham, Megan Hollier, Alex Malone, Iskandar R. Sharazuddin, Thomas James Vowles, Lauren Lloyd Williams
