Since 472 BC when Aeschylus created dialogue by adding ‘the antagonist’ to what had only been chorus and ‘the protagonist’, theatrical representations of human impulses have most often been expressed as discussion.
MEMBER has only one man on stage. He is protagonist and antagonist, speaker and listener, inner thought and outward expression. There is, however, further discussion taking place behind him in the shadows of the tiny black stage, where a clamour of voices has contributed to this extraordinary work. Artists, common people and the recounting of those involved are all alive in the yellowing spotlights.
And in the tinny bip of heart rate monitor which assaults in the darkness to open the show.
MEMBER begins in a hospital room where an intimidating figure, lit from below, hulks uncomfortably in a chair. We know from the poster that the story is about the gay hate crime epidemic that blighted Sydney’s coastline during the 1980’s and 1990’s. This middle aged man is Corey and he bears the weight of his past as he sits beside a dying son.
Ben Noble plays a multitude of characters in MEMBER and he does so brilliantly. The women are as detailed as the men, the haters have intelligent interpretation not just surface aggression and each person is finely delineated.
The physical shift between characters can be slight: a facial expression pulled by a teeth grind or a hands held stiffly at the sides mannerism, however the voice is where Noble’s skill really shines. It’s not just pitch, Noble utilises all the elements of speech.
Noble incorporates a speed change, a personalised rhythm or tone colour and for one of the women, a slight stuttering way of expressing herself. Nerves might have truncated some pauses on opening night but under Casey Gould’s sure director’s hand, characters don’t merge even as the story rapidly travels.
It is a well written story. A story of two halves. There is a lovely comic tone to the first half, not disrespectful to the themes but light and human. Friendly guffaws at funny turns of phrase and the titter of recognising someone we know up there. By necessity, though, the story must darken and it is sometimes hard to watch. I knew it would be and some discerning friends of mine refused to join me in fear of it.
Eerie lighting, evocative sound effects, a creepy protagonist, graphic descriptions and the voice of crazy make theatre of a poofter bash and murder… good theatre. Good art.
It’s my experience that artists are driven to create by some force that is uncontrollable, unassailable and often a mystery to others. Art from hate is where I am most often confused. I have often either misunderstood or not been able to compute why hate should be a starting point for Art? It’s the question eternal. Aeschylus’ THE PERSIANS did it in 472 BCE to considerable public consternation!
MEMBER is set during a time of more than 80 murders and 30 unsolved cases of gay hatred. Young men hunted down, savagely beaten, bludgeoned, stabbed or thrown to their deaths by gangs of youths – some as young as 12 years old. This artistic expression is based on Fairly Lucid Theatre Company’s reaching out to garner responses from friends and colleagues and to court transcripts, witness statements and archival material and as my brave friend who did attend with me reminded … “It really happened. It’s part of our history.” But why revisit it?
Because it is actually about love. The men who died and the people who loved them and a generous, loving community that survived this and other assailants. Love and hate tempered by compassion, empathy and redemption can only serve to enrich a contemporary society which acknowledges the past and doesn’t allow it to be forgotten. MEMBER might be a tough experience but it’s an informed, well expressed superbly acted production and as the program notes “… we invite you to listen. Observe. Think . Discuss.”
For this reason alone, confront the dark; see MEMBER playing at Blood Moon Theatre as part of the Mardi Gras Festival until March 4th.