There are very few plays today that take a good, hard look at the world stage and make us question our indifference and complacency.
Graham Jones and Jepke Goudsmit of the Kinetic Energy Theatre Company, have co-written and directed EMPIRE, a doco-drama montage with live music, performance and video, about America, from the ‘birth of the idea of America’, the Pilgrim ideology to the US Empire’s present day excesses.
Inspired by the writer activists, Arundhati Roy and Noam Chomsky, – “two of the most eminent and elegant critics of the Empire” – the play is cleverly interwoven with speeches from Roy and Chomsky (played by Goudsmit and Jones), famous statements on foreign policy from George W Bush on his golf course (played with great humour by Jones) and the eerie presence on stage of Bradley Manning (Angela Fieldhouse), typing from his workstation in Bagdad, opposite ex hacker Adrian Lamo (Frank Dasent). Their logs extracted are real and can be read on the screen at the back of the stage.
We can feel the tension in these two characters swapping emails. The need to expose the horrid truths Manning has been harbouring and the incredulousness from Lamo when he realises the enormity of what is going down. There is a vulnerability from Manning when he is not sure about the ethics of his actions. He ultimately decides that this may change the world for the better.
Whether you think that these men are heroes or traitors is irrelevant. This is a huge part of history and it leads to questions about the morality of governments’ secret agendas and the media’s ignorance and compliance.
Jones helmed the successful Kinetic Energy Dance Company in 1975 until he met and married Goudsmit, which led to their new venture, the Kinetic Energy Theatre Company in 1985. They have always produced energetic and intelligent shows and events, most recently Kinetic Jazz at their new venue, St Luke’s Hall. In EMPIRE, they have used recent and talented students from the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney, Floyd Robinson, Billy Ward, Drew Bourgeois, Frank Dasent and Lilli Pearse, who also double as actors. The Jones daughters, Jola and Saha are naturals on stage, along with tortured prisoner, Roberto Quintarelli and Robert Gray does a wonderful redneck airforce pilot contented in Vietnam. Although the play is about serious issues, it is vivacious and inspiring and accompanied by great jazz music.
Jones and Goudsmit have invited special guests to speak after each performance. It was great to hear Emeritus Professor Stuart Rees, a champion of social justice and human rights, enlighten us.
The Kinetic Energy Theatre Company is certainly worthy of patronage. It is a most welcoming venue with food and drink (home made soup for winter), and an intimacy and enthusiasm so important in the Sydney theatre scene.
The current season of EMPIRE plays at St Luke’s Hall in Enmore from July 10th to July 13th. For more information visit the Kinetic Energy Theatre Company’s official website- www.kineticenergytheatre.org.