Image: supplied.
The key word in the extensive title of this work is ‘story’. From the exploded set design, the voice over introduction with thrown away pages, to the fourth wall breaks, it is clear that this work is centred around honouring the truth of a person’s story. In striving to tell the story well, there are certain permissions granted to the audience. Permission to be ignorant to the post war situation in Sri Lanka, permission to choose a side or not, and permission to laugh.
The script benefits from having spent six years in development, passing through academic, public and industry audiences before maturing to the full stage version on show. And has been kept current with the aide of humour dealing with the turnstile politics of our day.
The characters are well developed, with sincerity actualised in their acknowledgement of the complexity in this situation. Through examination of individual circumstances, individual responsibilities and individual conscience, the truth is exposed in all it’s ugly glory. Hope and hopelessness are laid bare in a truth both brutal and bittersweet.
There is a good deal of humour throughout the performance, including slapstick and wry wit, however it was all upstaged by the well meaning middle class lady in the back row, who at lights up commented that she had donated to a Tamil fundraising dinner. A laughable self assurance of do-gooding after a confronting hour spent probing humanitarian horror.
Actors Adam Booth and Anthony Gooley are convincingly genuine in the conversational flow of the performance, while co-directors Dhananjaya Karunarathne and David Williams bring a levelled continuity to a multi layered story within a story focusing on storytelling. Special mention must be made of Rob Hughes’ sound design, adding atmospheric depth and captivating the audience with the silences he creates as much as in the soundscape.
Take a minute. Think about your life. Where does your story start? What education or tax policies have affected your life directly? Did you care for a dying loved one? Have you had to make sacrifices? If you lost everything in a fire, what would you really have left? The magnitude of a single life, of a person’s story, does anyone but that person have the right to tell their story? Can anyone really tell your story except you?
Next time you read a newspaper, or hear a ‘commentator’ or ‘expert’ speak, take a minute to ask yourself if they are telling their story, or someone else’s. Chances are that if it’s someone else’s, they’ve not quite got it right. Is it really ok for us to be ignorant, to choose a side or not, or to laugh?
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
A Sri Lankan Tamil Asylum Seeker’s Story As Performed By Australian Actors Under The Guidance Of A Sinhalese Director
Illawarra Performing Arts Centre
16 to 26 September
Directors: Dhananjaya Karunarathne and David Williams
Cast: Adam Booth, Anthony Gooley
