Assembly 2022 | La Boite Theatre
The first play I watched was Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ during my final year in high school.
It was performed on the steps of the University of Cape Town by final year drama students. Over the years I’ve seen ‘Julius Caesar’ being performed countless times. This classic play of political intrigue and betrayal not only left an indelible impression on (teen) me, it undeniably was the catalyst to igniting my love for the theatre. That initial experience including that of subsequent productions has been unique every time.
So I concur that attending a play is an investment in an experience.
Each time.
Every time.
‘Assembly’ was compiled over a mere eight week period and featured nine ten minute monologues comprising a trio of nine different playwrights, directors and actors. I was eager to tap into this one-night-only experience with TWENTY-SEVEN creatives appearing in just one show! A feat by any standard.
The works presented were:
Faded - Childhood memories encroach on a daughter and mother’s fractured relationship that raise questions about their choice of partners.
Balloons - Metaphors abound in this witty take on disgruntled relationships.
Pando’s Variation - High on mushrooms, an insignificant cigarette lighter becomes the reason to bare all about close friends.
Happy Birth - Sibling rivalry rears its ugly head in celebration of an eighteenth birthday.
Penumbra - A bride-to-be is in denial about the real reason behind why she’s been stood up.
Petrichor - Rainy days and riding on trains were once an enjoyable experience until the floods hit.
Of a Certain Age - Dementia is an insidious disease that steals memories from loved ones no matter how hard they struggle to remember and come to terms with their loss.
An Exercise in Narcissism - Betrayal takes on a whole new meaning when a bold, talented artist decides to lash out.
Image: Tai Bobongie
‘Assembly’ is a glimpse into fresh, new, raw, uplifting, punchy, witty, funny, sad, ambiguous monologues written by upcoming playwrights who own their stories. It’s a smorgasbord of flavours. Some palatable, some not. It’s a teaser taster consisting of flawed characters, minimalist props, zero music/soundscape, bittersweet scripts where shades of light and dark reside comfortably side-by-side. Kudos to the actors who did a splendid job of bringing these stories to life within the allocated ten minute time slot.
After chatting to one of the writers, I discovered that the facilitators (Ari Palani, Sanja Simic and Courtney Stewart) were responsible for choosing the trio of creatives who would be working together. A trio of strangers working together for the first time added a new dynamic to the outcome. My curiosity was piqued and keen to delve further into the process of making ‘Assembly’, I sent the playwright, director and actor of Selkie Story a few questions to gain a better insight into their particular piece.
I asked playwright Claire Alcock about the inspiration for Selkie Story.
Tackling a monologue was an exciting challenge for me, as I'm much more used to writing short stories or poetry. I started by looking at a range of different monologue styles, and deciding what kind of structure I wanted to use. The specific idea of Selkie Story came to me after meeting with Raphael and Kurtis, as they were both completely on board with using this opportunity to be a bit more experimental and subvert toxic masculinity through a magical realism lens. Taking inspiration from my own family history, I wanted to write something that explores the idea of being born out of violence, and how that discovery impacts us. When I had all those ingredients, the story itself unfolded so quickly and easily. Through the process of working with Raphael and Kurtis, I also realised there is so much more depth to the story than we were able to fit into 10 minutes. ‘Assembly’ was such a wonderful opportunity to nurture the beginnings of this story, and I'm really excited to develop this piece further, potentially into a full-length play!
Image: Tai Bobongie
I asked director Kurtis Laing (director) about the challenges that came with directing this piece within the 10 minute time slot.
The fun thing about a 10 minute monologue is how intimate it is. It is one body in one space sharing their inner voice with us. No matter who the actual text is directed towards - whether someone just outside the space that the audience can't see, or the audience itself ala a Shakespearean soliloquy - all we have is this one character. 10 minutes is a deceptively long time. It can be tempting to attempt to fill that time by micro-managing what's happening on the stage in order to exercise some control. I made a conscious effort to eschew that temptation, and worked really hard with Raph to facilitate a sense of purpose within the space that felt instinctual rather than manufactured.
And finally, I aked actor Raphael Tefera about what he was thinking/feeling when he got to perform Selkie Story for the first time in public.
It was exhilarating. Hearing the audience's varied reactions really surprised me. There were several moments where I didn't expect the audience to have that response, it was really refreshing. To me, it felt as if I was experiencing the story for the first time. You don't get that with every audience, so I'm really grateful for that.
Now for the real test.
In the (fickle) world of performance art I’m curious to see which of these nine works will make it to the next stage (no pun intended).
But whatever the outcome, ‘Assembly’ is a brave venture and provided an unmissable opportunity for playwrights, directors and actors to flex their respective creative skills unapologetically right here on Jagera and Turrbal country.
Undoubtedly ‘Assembly’ did not disappoint.
So I wish to reiterate that attending a play IS an investment in an experience.
Not only this time but every time.
