What is The Confidence Man? Is it a play? Is it a study of human psychology? Is it an exploration of humankind and its dark underbelly? The answer is it is all of these and so much more.
Upon entering the performance space at North Melbourne Town Hall, the audience is greeted by an unconventional, yet somewhat familiar setting. The Dogville-inspired floor plan of a simple suburban home (represented by lwhite lines on the floor and some simple household furniture and objects) immediately invites the viewer to suspend disbelief before the piece begins. The space, surrounded by headphones and chairs, is somewhat surreal and confronting. What follows is an unusual, exciting and innovative piece of theatre.
The story is a simple thriller. Six brave audience members are invited to participate, each wearing an oversized caricature mask and a headset, through which they hear instructions and directions. They also hear their characters’ thoughts and feelings. The remaining audience members are also given headsets and a channel switcher. The excitement begins as they select which character to listen to and follow throughout the play; the seated audience also get the opportunity to follow a single story arc.
The fascinating thing about the project is that even though we only get snapshots and glimpses of each character, they are all so well developed and crafted that the story makes complete sense as we move towards the shattering climax.
Zoe Pepper and Adriane Daff began writing and creating the piece some time ago; the end result is thought-provoking and fascinating. The format is so well constructed that it provides a safe environment for the participant and a voyeuristic one for the audience.
The simple design is a playground for the characters to exist in. What we are faced with is many questions, some concerning morals, others more self-reflective. Are we merely observers of life, trying to switch between our companions while seeking something to grasp hold of? Are we simply going to sit back and find a singular path and wait for it to happen? Or are we going to actively participate, despite not knowing the unpredictable beast that is daily life?
Many thoughts and ideas and questions will float around your head after The Confidence Man has finished. It seems that the writers have deliberately left such questions unanswered, so their audience can partake in some self-reflection as well as actively watching a work which challenges our ideas of what conventional theatre can be.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
The Confidence Man
Presented by Side Pony Productions and Arts House
Director: Zoe Pepper
Writers: Zoe Pepper and Adriane Daff
Composer: Ash Gibson Grieg
Mask Designer: Rebecca Baumann
Sound Designer: Sam Price
Lighting Designer: Lucy Birkinshaw
Producer: Gemma Pepper
Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall
28 August – 1 September
