Being Male Is | Jaycob Beven-Delaney & Eli Bunyoung
When I see a new piece of theatre that’s bluntly centred on a social issue, I worry that it will lack nuance and rate highly on the cringe-scale. I’ve been guilty of making this sort of work myself. The work where we say, ‘This thing in society is wrong. Let’s bash the audience with melodramatic meaning.’
Being Male Is explores young manhood and toxic masculinity, and could have easily been like this. It wasn’t. It was slick, playful, energetic, nuanced, and vulnerable. Two actors each represent what I would describe as the sensitive and machismo aspects of an archetypical young boy, Thomas; the sensitive played by Jaycob Beven-Delaney, and the machismo, played by Eli Bunyoung. From first shave, to first beer, to first kiss, we watch these two aspects of Thomas unpack the effects of societal gender expectations in the years leading up to male adulthood.
It was clear to me that these two young performers were drawing on emotional truth when performing this story. They were present with each other and they were present with us. Their dialogue was underpinned by dynamic movement pieces that conveyed an emotional intensity beyond words. I found myself wanting more of these movement pieces, as they are both talented physical performers. A few lines were inaudible due to mumbling, but to their credit they were competing with loud ceiling fans.
The work had minimal set and props - just a clothes rack and a few items used in various scenes. It didn’t need anything more. The sound and vision designs completed the aesthetic experience. It’s unfortunate I can’t seem to find a credit for these designs. Perhaps Beven-Delaney and Bunyoung created them. The highly stylised videos were projected after impactful scenes, giving the audience space to breathe and reflect.
One such impactful movement sequence depicts an enraged Thomas after his girlfriend breaks up with him. The two aspects of Thomas’ psyche submerge into chaos as they flip between violent expressions of emotion and determined attempts of self-regulation. It’s a confronting depiction of rage that serves as a reminder of the importance of teaching young men to process their emotions healthily.
This show presented a straight male experience; however, this didn’t prevent me from seeing aspects of my own experience in the show as a cis gay man. A story of social pressure around masculinity, and a journey of tumultuous self-discovery - yep, I feel that.
This show only had two performances at Wynnum Fringe, but I’d highly recommend seeing it if another season pops up in your news feed.
