Point of View

‘Point of View’ – comprises five short performance pieces, each exploring unique ways of looking at the world. The acts are staged in unconventional settings and spaces within the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, 1 Short Street, Fremantle. The three quarters of an hour performances, for adults, are until the 4^th November, with curtain up at 7.00 pm each night.

The Spare Parts Puppet Theatre and Edith Cowan University’s department for research in entertainment have combined to develop a year long, fee-free course for post graduate students (from a theatrical background). Supported by the Ian Potter Foundation, the students study all aspects of experimental adult puppetry. Last year’s course graduates are already performing all over the world.

Each piece has been devised, written and performed by this year’s FirstHand artists.

The audience are asked to stand on the dimly lit stage, and to move around the platform as necessary, as the five 8-minute acts take place in different areas. Audience members need to be prepared to be on their feet for the duration of the performance.

‘The Terrific and Tumultuous Tale of Herr Morgenstein’ by Lunabella Mrozik-Gawler.

     Sarah McKellar sat in the auditorium reading aloud from a large book of poetry about Herr Morgenstein, a poor fellow that seems to be suffering from a curse. With his health deteriorating, will he find the cure in time?

This vaudevillian farce is acted out by the five actors representing a pop-up picture book and some well designed flat, white cardboard figures in the style of 19^th Century paper theatre puppets.

‘Lights Out’ by Emma Craig

          A young lady, dressed in black, dances across the dark stage carrying an incandescent bulb. The lamp increases and decreases in light as she swirls it around like a fairground Ferris wheel and slithers on the floor like a snake, as the globe searches for a new life as an energy efficient bulb.

An interesting piece of movement, which came alive with the changes of light and shade.

'Clean Linen’ by Chloe Flockart 

           Two women scream at each other in argument, as they wash their linen in public! Afterwards, what better place to apologise and forgive than in bed? However, are they both happy with the relationship or should one partner leave?

Interesting choreography as each thinks out the alternatives.

‘Jack’s Women’ by Sarah McKellar 

            Dressed in a grey hoodie, waster Jack takes his mother’s cow and swaps it for a tin of baked beans. These he eats before climbing aloft, where he finds the Golden Hen ….

Using everyday objects, Sarah has shown the attitudes of this selfcentred youth and his affect on those around him.

 ‘Bogolon’ by Rachel Sharcola Wells 

           Through the audience came an idol, similar to an Inca God. It weaves its way around the stage and auditorium as it heads for the real god – the sun. It then it mysteriously transforms.

Much of this act was with a well presented shadowgraph of the actor’s hands and arms, creating the strange spiritual rituals of the Gods.

Not what I expected. Much of the action was as human ‘puppets’, shadowgraphs and using everyday objects to represent live objects, but there were no puppets as we know them.

Some of the acts were more like simple human physical theatre.

The action was well thought out and choreographed, the acting interesting, but sadly with no puppets in sight, the overall effect was a little disappointing. Tim Watts has raised the bar on this type of act so high that it makes it very difficult for those following.