Terrorism – the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes. This highly emotive noun evokes strong responses in our current political climate and Stooged Theatre’s production of Vanessa Bates CHECKLIST FOR AN ARMED ROBBER resonates with the passions and desperate thinking that hurtles individuals and groups into extreme acts of aggression. What does it take to motivate individuals and groups to perform acts of terror involving innocent and unwilling victims?
Set in October 2002, the script was inspired by newspaper stories: one, known as the Nord-Orst siege, where an Islamist Chechen group took over 800 theatre patrons at the Debrovka theatre in Moscow for 3 days, demanding Russian troops leave Chechnya and end the war. The other was an attempted robbery of a single young female shop assistant in a bookshop in Newcastle.
The two seemingly unrelated stories are interwoven, with the common thread being the motivation behind the acts of terror. Award winning playwright, Vanessa Bates, gives us an insight and even a sympathetic understanding of the motivations behind the protagonists, without condoning or supporting the violence.
This highly theatrical and cleverly structured play is forceful theatre. The cast and production team assembled are a slick and talented group and their combined skills take us on a 70 minute emotional roller-coaster ride of humour, fear, disgust and pathos.
Director Chloe Perrett has pulled out all theatrical stops, with the 4 actors swapping rapidly and sometimes mid-sentence between places, characters and emotions, with overlapping dialogue, rhythm and beat, masque/cabaret and tightly choreographed audience and actor proxemics. While at times non-naturalistic, the work is always totally believable.
The dual purpose set, designed by Joel Yager, effectively takes us from theatre to bookshop and back again, with a couple of rows of theatre seating on one side and a large bookshelf on the other, complete with ladder, used beautifully by the athletic, engaging and graceful Angie Diaz as the bookshop assistant and as a Chechen rebel.
Lighting, by Elese Murray, supports the rapid transitions, highlighting characters and creating surreal and grotesque images in the moments of masque.
Stooged Theatre regulars – CONDA award winners Janet Gillam and Mitchell Cox, both bring their extensive skills to this physically and emotionally demanding script. Gillam imbues every role; Russian journalist Raisa, the pompous stage manager of Nord-Orst, a drunken woman and a reporter, with complete clarity of character through all the rapid-fire shifts.
Cox brings a similar transformational talent, and is almost endearing as the bumbling and defeated young bookshop robber, revealing the pathetic and desperate desire to belong that has been subsumed by the need to simply survive.
Assistant Director Callan Purcell stepped in 4 days prior to opening to take over the roles of Chechen rebel leader and other assorted characters. One would never know.
The desire to have control in their lives, to have peace, freedom and to save their women and children from rape and other atrocities of invasion and war is underpinning the extreme actions of the rebels. Purcell as the rebel leader lets us into that world of emotional pain and while we as an audience are horrified by the actions of the rebels and the humiliation, fear and distress of their victims, we glean some understanding of the why.
This is a fulfilling theatrical experience that never lets go. The only disappointment is that this is such a short season. This is theatre at its best – theatrical, informative, challenging and slick.
CHECKLIST FOR AN ARMED ROBBER is on at the Civic Playhouse, Hunter Street, Newcastle Friday 17 October 8pm and Saturday 18 October 2pm and 8pm.
For more about Checklist for an Armed Robber – Stooged Theatre, visit http://http://www.civictheatrenewcastle.com.au/