Melbourne Playback Theatre Company’s final work for 2012 was Story Vessel, a performance shaped by the audience and ‘played back’ by the ensemble of highly skilled actors well versed in the craft of improvisation. Immediate, raw and unexpected, this is theatre making in the moment and storytelling at its most fundamental.
The evening was ‘conducted’ by Ian David, who has a long association with the company. His role is a subtle one. The conductor must hold the space, read the audience, ask questions that will motivate and provoke participation, steer the storytellers through their occasionally convoluted tales, and draw out the narration through a combination of prompts and active listening.
To begin, he warmed the audience up with requests for short descriptions of their day. The five actors and two musicians on stage were then requested to play back each description using ensemble work which included improvised song and tandem work. Each spontaneous piece was imbued with wit and skill in equal measure.
Once warmed up, David challenged the audience to join him on stage to narrate an experience from the year. Several people volunteered to share their stories. Whether or not it was an indication of the types La Mama or Playback attracts, most of the storytellers turned out to be arts practitioners. There were two writers, an artist, a gallery curator – the exception was a 16 year old high school student.
Four out of the five had travelled during the year. One had just signed a book deal, another’s art work had been purchased by a certified psychopath, the curator ran a gallery in Greece where the owner of Christie’s in London had been a recent visitor, another had taken her son to Ireland where she was researching a play based on her ancestry. The student talked about living with and leaving her beloved exchange family in France.
There was a slight loftiness to the storytelling palate that night and a soft whiff of self-promotion amongst some of the tellers. It is worth noting that Playback did not allude to this and treated each story with respect and originality. It would have been refreshing to hear stories of a different nature; tales from other walks of life mixed in with these tales from Melbourne’s well -travelled creative pool, but those stories did not walk onto the stage that night.
Out of these narratives, the actors created some stunning work, ranging from a six year old boy enchanting the Irish (accompanied by some rollicking jigs performed by accomplished musicians Ernie Gruner and Karen Berger) to living art installations and a moving representation of the Japanese tsunami. From the witty portrayal of a young artist’s life in Greece after the Global Financial Crisis to the poignant goodbye to a French family, the ensemble cast of Mike McEvoy, Petra Kalive, Allen Laverty, Emily Taylor and Andrew Gray drew out the stories with intelligence and humour.
This was a fine night of improvisatory theatre, from a company well worth seeing if you get the chance.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Story Vessel
By Melbourne Playback Theatre Company
Ensemble: Ian David, Danny Diesendorf, Rachael Dyson-McGregor, Andrew Gray, Petra Kalive, Allen Laverty, Mike McEvoy, Diana Nguyen, Michelle Nussey, Alexandra Sangster, Tim Stitz and Emily Taylor
Musicians: Ernie Gruner and Karen Berger
Lighting Operator: Alan Davies
Company Manager: Sherridan Green
La Mama Courthouse, Carlton
14 – 16 December
