This is the first major production by the wonderful Milk Crate Theatre for a while and what a worthy production it proves to be.
The setting is a country motel, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The motel is run by a cranky proprietor Elixir (Kamini Singh). Helping her, well sort of, is her very restless daughter Jeddi (Lana Filies), who she has put on as a trainee. Not sure if she went through proper channels to do this.
William (Matthias Nudl) is a regular visitor to the motel. Maybe he has one of the rooms. It isn’t made clear.
Kirra (Darlene Proberts) makes a visit to the motel, much to the surprise of Jeddi. Kirra and Elixir used to be best friends but they had a huge falling out. Elixir isn’t pleased to see her.
Kirra wants to leave straight away but a huge dust storm hits and she has to stay put. The motel buttons down its hatches.
The dust storm whips through.. The power cuts out. When things are restored, well at least a little, an odd, prophetic sort of guy named Two Bob (Desmond Edwards) enters the motel and gives everyone the creeps. The play goes on from there.
In her program note Director Margot Politis described the play as, “explorations from that point journeying through art forms, genres, film, outback Australian Noir, punk rock, aliens, Wake in Fright, Glitch and The Breakfast Club.”
It is a fair description of this play and production which is a very visceral experience.
The audience is positioned in the middle of the space with the sets, there are two sets of the motel, on either side of the audience. The actors play/switch/move between the two sets.
Politis’ production is very theatrical. Text is, of-course, integral but there is so much more, such as the physical/movement work of the actors. Prema Yin’s edgy soundscape, cutting in through the play. Liam O’Keefe’s striking light design. Margot Politis and Sam Read’s adept set and costume design.
The work, in the tradition of Milk Crate Theatre, is a group devised work, put together, woven together, every step of the way, impressively so, by the cast and crew.
Milk Crate’s modus operandi is to empower people, who are otherwise marginalised and under represented, with the power of performance and the magic of creating theatre. They have been given the freedom to be theatremakers, artists. and they have created relevant theatre, theatre about family, friendships, in short relationships, the stuff of life.
There were no star turns. Each performance was heartfelt, sensitive, and, in its own way, rich.
Returning to Margot Politis and further on in her program note:
“Because no matter what you think about who deserves to be an artist and what is artistic excellence and whether or not people who haven’t attended any shiny theatre institution can make good work – we hope that in viewing DUST you discover something new. We hope that you experience or hear or see or feel something that shifts that lens for you, even just a little bit.
We are excited to share this world with you.”
What a privilege!
Milk Crate Theatre’s production of DUST is playing a short season at the Richard Wherrett Studio, Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay between the 13th and 17th September 2022.
https://www.milkcratetheatre.com
Production photography by Robert Catto