presented by Union House Theatre
16–24 May, Guild Theatre
Preview by Olympia Bowman-Derrick
Union House Theatre describes its production of Attempts on Her Life as ‘a disjointed jigsaw puzzle for generation now.’ I spoke to award-winning director, Susie Dee, in an attempt to decipher the strange messages that have been appearing on the Union House Theatre blogs and notice boards.
It’s moving…
‘I’d like to encourage people to come along because I think it will be a different experience for them from the normal theatrical experience – … it will be challenging and exciting. Hopefully we’ll provoke thought.’
It’s timely…
‘I think it connects in a contemporary sense now – the way we misconstrue; we interpret things; we pigeonhole people. … I think it relates to people being too judgemental – making bold statements when they haven’t got the facts right.’
It’s distressing…
‘I like the idea of ‘uncomfortability’ and being surprised. … It appealed to me that the audience has to think through this, and they have to make decisions. It’s not a passive experience. I want it to be challenging. I want them to be engaged and make decisions for themselves.’
It’s funny…
‘[Audiences will be sitting on] comfortable swivel chairs. But don’t be scared – the cast members aren’t going to come up behind you and push your chair around!’
It’s sexy…
‘I suppose I like to go to theatre that really steps out of the box. Something that’s different, that’s exciting, that’s challenging, that’s poetic. It offers a very different experience. You should be on the edge of your seat. The blood should be bubbling. Yeah, you should be excited.’
It’s deeply serious…
‘The whole piece goes on quite a serious trajectory. … A platform surrounds the space and the audience sits in the centre. And there are four screens above us. The whole design is based around a public space. It’s a space that deals with transit and transition. The text is intriguing.’
It’s entertaining…
‘One of the scenarios that we’re having a lot of fun with is a scenario called ‘The New Annie’ where the character of Anne is depicted as a car. … We parody a European advertisement. Kelly [Ryall] has created this great Euro-beat underneath, and the actors can have a bit of fun. That’s a really fun moment. There’s a great beat and a little bit of bopping. We all sit back and smile. I love that moment.’
It’s illuminating…
‘I really want to create a piece that will inspire students to look at other forms of theatre.’
It’s cryptic…
‘The nature of this text – there’s quite a few levels going on. There are twelve people on stage, and the whole piece is divided up into 17 scenarios; the whole piece is a dissection of a story about a woman called Anne, Anya, or Annushka. It’s like a dissection of this person’s life.’
It’s dark…
‘It questions what is truth and what is a lie.’
Let’s meet…
16–24 May, Guild Theatre.
www.union.unimelb.edu.au/theatre
Call me…
8344 7447 for bookings!
