Cordoned off in the corner of a used goods warehouse is a makeshift stage where 3 performers dressed in white undergarments explore the most divine and base aspects of our humanity in eighteen scenes and a song. The Space on Botany road in Alexandria in fact can do little to remove the audience from the outside world – metal gates creaking, cats meowing, babies crying, people enjoying their Friday night as they walk by on the street – all of these become part of the soundscape of this work as the creators of Fragments of I AM perform what they see as a reflection of life and modernity, while also questioning our very existence.

The work is highly visceral, a feature being the incessant drinking of water from a packet of water bottles kept on a corner of the stage throughout the show, which had me desperate to go to the toilet by the end. The audience is also made to share in the struggles of the male characters in the skilled physical performances of Sam Trotman and Ryan Carter, at times writhing on stage, other times making love or having fits of rage. Alongside these stories is the tales of Hayley Sullivan’s characters: struggles of identity and depression while dealing with the bureaucracy of mental health clinics, distant partners and isolation. The difficulties that the characters experience are juxtaposed against a range of scriptures from the Bible, read mostly by Microsoft Sam between each scene, which is operated by the fourth collaborator on this project, Jes Dalton. Some of these readings voice the highest of standards placed on humankind by divine authorities, others reflect the ambitions, struggles and despairing moments of key Biblical figures.

It strikes me that this show is still in its early stages of development, in which case it is a great start in representing some rather grand ideas that provoked the initial devising of this work. At this stage the references to the Bible are still a little under-explored and obtuse at times. The performance on the other hand is very tight and well-executed. What is left now is to bring the other performance elements up to the same standard.

I would have liked to see each thread from the stories tie together in some way towards the end; this could increase the impact of the scenes presently in the work. I love the communal feel in the traverse setup of the space and this adds a lot to the show. I’m looking forward to seeing how this work progresses in its next stage of development.

Fragments of I AM: 18 Scenes and a Song was performed at the Space, 298 Botany Road, Alexandria between the 7th and 9th August.