Enticing and exciting: forbidden fruits ripe for exploration

What happens to people when things are forbidden? Exploring the old adage “curiosity killed the cat”, it’s a theme explored by students from The Actors’ Hub in A Little Rain Must Fall this month. The $10 self-devised, one-hour show uses clowning, physical theatre and mask work to follow housemaid Daisy and what happens when she opens a mysterious box. Inside is a colourful world teeming with life, wonder, storytelling and magic – but she soon realises it’s both loving and stifling, noisy and quiet, peaceful and frenzied – and the inhabitants warn her of the dangers if she opens the box again. The Actors’ Hub director Amanda Crewes said the project started with students discussing themes, images and ideas they wanted to see explored on stage. “We looked at the power of storytelling through physicality and explored the magical world of mask work in performance,” she said. “These areas of exploration informed our performance choices and the work grew out of improvised scenes that explored the themes ‘life ain’t that hard’ and ‘everything happens for a reason’. “With a focus on narrative, character and storytelling, physical theatre is performance where the primary means of expression is physical rather than textual. “Physical theatre is often augmented by musical elements and A Little Rain Must Fall is scored throughout by the amazing talents of emerging musician Tim Newhouse.” Crewes said the structure of the show evolved around stories and the art of storytelling, both verbally and physically. “The dialogue is the storytelling but the characters’ physicality tells of the dark world that lies beneath the façade of the story, reflecting on the many masks we wear in our day-to-day lives,” she said. “The show is a fun, exciting and energetic exploration of the universal themes of curiosity and private lives.” After graduating from the WA Academy of Performing Arts in 1998, Crewes went on to work professionally with Effie Crump, Class Act, Handzon, Agelink, Kompany M, Melbourne’s Playbox and Barking Gecko Theatres, Dirty Dicks Theatre Restaurant and the Perth Theatre Company. She has performed with several professional independent theatre groups in shows such as Italian American Reconciliation, Wolfe Lullaby and Conundrum, which earned her an Equity Guild Award nomination for best supporting actress, and also works extensively as a secondary school drama teacher. Established last year, Crewes set up The Actors’ Hub to provide a serious focus for those wanting to learn more about the acting profession, working with industry professionals as much as possible. “The acting students in A Little Rain Must Fall have spent six months working with The Actors’ Hub in our beginners’ course, which is designed to find the actor in you,” she said. “They are different ages and have varying talents and acting experiences but have devised a warm and thoroughly entertaining performance.” A Little Rain Must Fall plays from 7pm-8pm, April 18, 19 and 20. All tickets are $10 – book at www.trybooking.com/46291. The Actors’ Hub is at 180 Hamersley Road, Subiaco. More information about The Actors’ Hub is available at www.actorshub.net.