An interactive theatrical show born of a passion to bring taboo topics out of obscurity is on display in Perth.
Directed and written by WAAPA graduate Amanda Crewes, The Blind Eye Trilogy features three literal-style plays that address the controversial issues of cowardly fists, pornography and domestic violence.
All three performances – One Punch Wonder, The Innocent Prawn and Is There Anybody Out There – feature graduates from The Actors’ Hub, Adam Leeuwenhart, Christian Tomaszewski, Andrew Dunstan and Jared Stephenson.
Your local newspaper, whenever you want.
Ms. Crewes, who is also the director of The Actors’ Hub in East Perth, told PerthNow that the idea of doing the performances started in 2017 when she decided to ask the question “why aren’t we talking about this?”.
“We wanted to take a 360-degree view of these three topics: violence on our streets, on our screens and in our homes,” said Ms. Crewes. “So, with our graduates, we started developing these shows that make people think and turn people away after saying ‘woah, that’s crazy.’
“The goal is to save lives at the end of the day because, as a society, we turn a blind eye to these issues and if we are not careful, we will end up in serious trouble.”
To develop the content featured in each performance, the actors interviewed hundreds of people including police, lawyers, health professionals, perpetrators and victims, parents, children and even drug addicts, in order to portray the real-life impact that different problems have. about people’s lives.
The actors then “impersonate” each interviewee to create an engaging performance in order to tell a deeper story.
Ms Crewes told PerthNow that the plays acted as “stimuli” for audiences to embark on a journey with their own opinions.
“Their memories could be triggered so that they are ready to speak later during our open conversations in the atrium with the cast and crew,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity to connect with the community and hear them share their stories, which is great because we don’t have a lot of opportunities to do that.
“And this style of theater is fascinating because it actually makes people sit up, pay attention and be more involved in the subject; we wouldn’t have done these shows any other way.
“So I encourage our community to come see the exhibits and join the conversation.
“This is the only way forward and theater is the best place to deal with these things.”
The Blind Eye Trilogy will air at The Actors’ Hub Studio in East Perth on Saturday 17th September from 2pm to 9pm.
Tickets cost $ 35 for one show or $ 60 for the entire trilogy.
Following the Perth performances, Ms. Crewes hopes to bring the Trilogy to the Sydney Fringe Festival.