Earlier this year, Belvoir explored the aftershock of war through the prism of a news reporter trying to settle back into civilian life in journalist-turned playwright Sally Sara’s Stop Girl. Now, new physical theatre company Fuser Productions takes a look at the same dilemma, but from a soldier’s perspective in immersive show Intact.
Steve Lu and Olivia Hardley both take on the role of the returned veteran on alternate nights in this powerful work that centres an intense performance of few words. They also co-created it with Fuser founders Cecile Payet, Emily Yali and Sabrina Muszynski. Described as a dream-like and surreal performance piece, it features moody lighting by Travis Kecek, set design by Sam Wylie, and video sequences whipped up by Kalani Gacon of Video Friendly Dog Films.
The show asks us to interrogate how we reinvent ourselves in an attempt to adapt to extreme challenges. Both the protagonist and the audience are encouraged to sit in what ‘stuck’ feels like and confront the hero’s transformation in a revealing experience of identity. You’ll be no passive observer either, with audience members actively encouraged to hang back and talk out what you’ve just experienced with the stars and creative team. You get to have your say on what it all means, and how it affects you.
Intact also plays out in a new spot for culture-hungry Time Outers looking for somewhere new to explore in their beloved city. Woodburn Creatives in Redfern is a shared workspace filled with bustling creative practices during the day, but also includes a big common space that has been hired out for the show. Which only makes it sound even more interesting to us sticky beaks.
