Thirty-Six
****
Bayley (Bayley Turner) recalls how she started planning her funeral at the age of 14. Now, at 35, the age suggested to be the life expectancy of transwomen, Bayley ponders whether she will make it to her next birthday? Thirty-Six explores the challenges and fears that confront transwomen.
The play is structured in vignettes with Bayley relating the key events and people in her life. The stage is set up with cameras – when Bayley is speaking into the camera the image is projected onto the back wall. This creates a feeling of a last confession recorded for posterity. Turner’s performance is excellent, creating an emotional connection with the audience while at the same time delivering some very funny one-liners. Hidden behind a curtain, Alexandra Amerides provides beautiful, haunting vocals and is one of the highlights of the production.
The main relationship in the play is between Bayley and Jo – significantly older than Bayley and with a very different life experience. While we learn a lot about Bayley and Jo through Bayley’s narration, we don’t learn much about their relationship with each other. This could have been explored in more depth. While the ending is visually and emotionally charged, it still remains confusing.
Theatre is a safe space in which to explore the complexities of life for transwomen. However, outside politics is a powerful reminder that making the world a safe space remains a challenge for us all.
Thirty-Six by Jo Clifford and Bayley Turner
fortyfivedownstairs
Performers: Bayley Turner and Alexandra Amerides
Voiceover: Jo Clifford
Film: These are my Hands by Evi Tsiligaridou
Director: Kitan Petkovski
Set and Costume Designer: Bethany J Fellows
Lighting Designer: Spencer Herd
Composer: Di Drew
Video Design: Aron Murray
Stage Manager/Operator: Daniel Gigliotti
Producers: Ro Bright and Cameron Lukey
Tickets: $39-$49
Thirty-Six will be performed until 2 February 2025 as part of the midsumma festival.
Medium
**
The medium is the message is the central contention of Ari Angkasa’s new project. Medium was filmed live in the Sacred Heart Courtyard at Abbotsford Convent while the audience watched a projection on a screen in a nearby building. The beginning consisted of a lecture-like narration that discussed the medium in human existence before performers wearing chicken masks took over narrative.
Unfortunately, the screening suffered from substantial technical issues, which made it hard to hear some of the narration. There were also microphone issues that meant that some of the spoken dialogue was lost. Regular cut-outs of the live feed disrupted the experience, and while these were brief at first, there were a couple of long ones before Angkasa made the call to stop the show to fix the issues.
Angkasa did his best to entertain the audience while the tech was being fixed and this awkward interaction with him telling jokes produced some of the best moments of the evening. The tech was repaired sufficiently to allow for an entertaining finale.
Read: Concert review: Raiders of the Lost Ark in Concert, The Plenary
The challenges of producing a live film brought this show undone. This meant a lot of the meaning was lost. What was discernible was interesting, but needed shorter and sharper scenes. It is a pity as Angkasa is a charismatic performer who did a commendable job of pushing on through the difficulties.
Medium
Abbotsford Convent
Presented by: Ari Angkasa
Medium was performed 23-25 January 2025.
