Theatre review: ASK, The Blue Room Theatre

The Blue Room has long been known as a breeding ground for Perth creatives. It’s the perfect size to explore and take risks and, thanks to this, shows like ASK are born.

Quite often Blue Room shows go on to be developed further and are taken into the WA State Theatre Centre under the State Theatre Company label, and further toured should they have success there.

ASK is right in the eye of the storm of this exciting possible journey. It was first presented at The Blue Room Theatre as part of the Summer Night 600 Seconds Movemovemove program in 2023. Featuring two different actors and Oliver Hughes, who is still with the production, the 600 Seconds program was physical theatre developed into the scripted form. This performance was created by writer Barbara Hostalek in 2021 for the ILBIJERRI mini online festival, 10 in 10 minutes, as ARSKING. 

ASK share tales of a family’s conscious and unconscious behaviours. It illuminates the emotional expense and complexity of this across time and space, and shows all the ways there are to break a family – gambling, drugs, money, mortgages, stealing and death. It also paves a way for a pair of troubled twins to get through the noise of life in a non-linear time frame. 

Their story is intertwined with history and relationships – both implied and real – which at times creates a pile-on of dialogues and directions, sacrificing clarity and impact. Yes, there are a few too many things going on, but the main messages do have strength – the importance of family, country, coming together, reconciliation and questioning.

The production needs to be more cohesive to allow the audience to discover the essence of it without pondering the somewhat disparate elements.

The three young performers are outstanding. Jai Craig-Fraser, Leah Pigram and Oliver Hughes completely take command of the stage to draw the audience into the very difficult but compelling storytelling. They inhabit their characters with believable nuances and dynamics, and use choreographed movements to great effect. They do a stellar job with a script that’s still in its workshop phase. I’d happily pay to see any show featuring their names in the future. 

Read: Performance review: Peter and the Starcatcher, Arts Centre Melbourne

3rd Place Productions is a proud independent WA theatre company that aspires to make you think. Its stories focus on different views of everyday life to make you laugh, cry and see differently. ASK does that. It’s a little play that tackles big issues in a very interesting way and should it undergo further development I would definitely be in the queue for a ticket.

Ask
Blue Room Theatre, Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge
Director: Barbara Hostalek
Choreographer/Movement Director: Janine Oxenham
Set/Props/Costume Designer: Megan Mak
Audio Visual Designer: Laura Goodlet
Sound Designer: Levi Widnall
Cast: Jai Craig-Fraser, Leah Pigram, Oliver Hughes
Tickets: $27-$32

Ask will be performed until 23 November 2024.