Wild Animals Will Kill You

But last year we were wiped out by Food Court.

Presented as a collaboration between Geelong’s Back to Back Theatre Company and the jazz improvisational trio, the Necks, the production nailed the audience to a most uncomfortable and deeply thought-provoking issue.  Horror and cruelty in the lives of disabled people.

More disturbing – if that’s possible was that the drama translated cruelty and maltreatment of what was clearly learned behaviour from the world at large – the food court perhaps – into a kind of “normalcy” amongst this disabled community.

Food Court was conceived from an overheard conversation in a shopping mall. The production ran for two nights at the Sydney Opera House last week – after sell-out shows in Europe in May.  We went on the strength of a previous 2007 Festival of Sydney production by Back to Back – Small Metal Objects – which was an altogether different kettle of fish.

Small Metal Objects was set in the public space outside the Customs House at Circular Quay – and the audience (wearing headphones and sitting in a small temporary grandstand) – as well as the mic’d actors mingled with the general public as the comedic drama unfolded.  In fact as a production, audience, actors and passers-by reshaped the drama every evening.  The play was hilarious, warm and strongly affirming the depth of talent of the disabled actors and their generous poking of fun at able characters in their world – from the businessman trying to buy party drugs to his friend the psychologist – enlisted to help sort out the deal – with the massively disinterested but pleasant enough (and slightly helpful) disabled characters.  The duo of Simon Laherty and Allan V Watt were wonderful – reminiscent of Steinbeck’s small quick-witted George Milton and the large disabled Lennie Small from “Of Mice and Men”.

But Food Court was a very different kettle of fish.  The Necks laid down a constantly tense and sharp-textured soundscape slowly rising to a crescendo.  The drama opened with a bit of good-natured comedy as a female “interviewer” (Rita Halabarec) dressed in gym gear and a sound man prepared for the drama.  We waited – and waited as interview teams surely do for the arrival of their celebrated persona.  The audience grew restless and when they were joined by a second female (Nikki Holland) also dressed for the gym, the food court dialogue started, the exchange did not go well.  There was a lot of hostility, and this escalated when the characters were joined by a third disabled person (Sarah Mainwaring) who refused to speak and became a new victim.

The actors shouted abuse at each other and the obscure speech was surtitled.  To the extent that “You fat !  You ugly!” needed visual clues to help with problems of diction, the surtitles added to the stress placed on the audience.  A few people in the audience couldn’t endure the onslaught and departed early, but more challenging action was yet to come in a misty silhouetted dream sequence in a forest, one of the characters was forced to strip and dance, and was abused, kicked and beaten.  It was clear that there was not going to be a happy ending.

Also disturbing was the finale when the Necks joined the cast on stage for a bow – with the exception of Sarah Mainwaring who had pegged out amongst the line-up and was receiving the gentle care of a stage assistant.  (That was pretty much how it felt from the audience perspective too).  I hope she feels much better now.

It was a confronting and exhausting experience; a window into a nightmarish world.  We lumbered out into the biting cold with plenty of time to reflect and recover from the experience – mindful that theatre is not always cheerful entertainment and that the life of a disabled person can be very far from the beer and skittles world of the Small Metal Objects.

Pics were borrowed from the Back to Back Theatre web site.  http://www.backtobacktheatre.com/about

And Small Metal Objects – SMH Arts in Review