A Tribute to Black by Tara Mocktari. 19th Hole Theatre Productions at Tuggeranong Community Arts Centre January 30 - February 2, 7.30pm.
Canberra's colleges' drama programs continue to spawn intelligent and interesting little theatre groups among their ex-students, some of which - like Project Theatre 20 years ago - briefly flare and fizz, while some - such as the Acting Company - seem to become part of the furniture. This is the second production of 19th Hole, who are mainly from Canberra College, Woden Campus: a group of actors, technicians and musicians now mostly students at uni, but who still give thanks to their previous teachers, including Richard Manning.
Talking to Manning, himself a product of Hawker College in the late 1970s, made me aware of this theatrical niche, different from Youth Theatre, or REP, or the amateur groups like Phoenix Players, or being in the ANU Theatre course; and different of course from professional training courses away from Canberra. These are brave young people, like Bohemian Productions reviewed last week and still showing at The Street, who raise their own funds, manage their own affairs and take real risks to present work they feel is worthwhile.
Mocktari's play explores a philosophical idea - that black, being the absence of colour, represents the space in the universe which is open to infinite possibilities; and that love is the energy which can play upon the negatives, our usual experience of the black in our lives, and help us find the positives. She writes in her program notes of "the beautiful blackness that surrounds each of [the characters'] lives and brings matters to terms at their own pace".
The work combines an excellent live band, Crevona, with video, recorded soundscape, separated spotlighting of action in the audience space as well as on stage, and a mix of performance styles - largely presentational, but with some direct address, some more expressionist, snippets of apparent naturalism, and even a very funny cabaret dance routine. There are also drama workshop nightmare figures with uv lighted white masks a la Phillipe Genty.
This could be a fragmented mess, but gradually things defrag in a quite moving way. A worthwhile project indeed.
© Frank McKone, Canberra
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