Review: DOUBLE BILL: AND THEY WERE WRONG/AN ENCYCLOPAEDIC INSTRUCTION at Courtney Creative

These two plays are a theatrical Double Bill taking place in Courtney Creative on Courtenay Place in Wellington. It is wonderful to see experimental theatre by such young players who had obviously gone to great lengths in order to produce and direct their own plays but it was somewhat surprising not to see this type of theatre welcomed at BATS where the staging and seating would have benefitted the pieces. It was also surprising to discover that although the plays had been described as immersive, there were no conventions of the immersive theatre form except awareness and acknowledgement of the audience at times.

The simple staging for both plays uses black drop curtains and two, huge, fabulously futuristic lanterns which change colour throughout. The first play "And They Were Wrong" is based around Laura, a transgender teen who is struggling with acceptance by family and friends and discovers that in the online world, loneliness can make you vulnerable to predatory influences. There is a good message here with strong, current themes but this piece lacks the cohesion and experience needed to create the necessary dramatic intensity. Part of the issue is the staging and the fact that we are all seated on one level meaning action takes place on a bed that is lower than the audience, making it difficult to see. In general, dialogue was hard to hear at times and solemn exposition that should have been serious and devastating was glossed over a little too quickly.

The second play - An Encyclopaedic Instruction - started with promise, chorus leaning menacingly over the balcony taunting the audience with laughter and zombie-like sounds. Once they appear on the stage, they bring us the character of "Jeremiah", a young man (played candidly by an appealing Russell Gill) who is chained to the wall and perhaps forced to read through the magazines, books and articles he is lying on while a disembodied voice gives encyclopedic instruction to which the chorus enter and respond within a timed limit.

It was difficult to judge how this fit the declaration of a new theatre form and it would have been interesting to know how much was scripted and how much was improvised. Overall, this was an interesting concept but on opening night, the pace seems too slow. It is always difficult to judge the intention of such a cryptic piece so it may well be that the long periods of watching Jeremiah flick through pages is specifically included to frustrate but, it would have kept the audience attention focused for longer had these sections been kept crisp.

There are a mixture of styles here with some lovely conventions throughout - singing, chorus of sound, chorus of movement with the ensemble handling the physicality well. One performer with teal hair stands out as commanding her space and giving a clear, well-projected recitation of a poem.

Overall, I salute anyone and everyone who has the passion and drive to write, direct and produce their own work - it is incredibly exciting for the future of theatre in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Everyone has to start somewhere and my recommendation would be to always workshop ideas and profit from guidance of experienced theatre practitioners who can help add that extra layer of professionalism. For these young directors and performers, this is only the beginning.

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