Though not a perfect work, Take Up Thy Bed & Walk, the latest performance piece from the Vitalstatistix Theatre Company certainly leaves one with a great deal to think about and a lot of reasons to smile. The five performers – four with physical and sensory impairments – are shown as people with lives and personalities that far exceed the stereotypes associated with their conditions.
To open, the audience is taken in groups into the performance space to explore the stage. The space is set up like an old infirmary or orphanage ward, with beds neatly arranged and white, uniform sheets. Small personal artifacts are lying around each bed, and projected onto the pillow is a children’s story version of how the occupant acquired their condition. The performers are all in plain, white lace nighties and this creates a feeling of infantalisation, added to by the dolls’ house model of their own ward in one corner. There is a lot of detail in this space and we have barely scratched the surface when we are directed to a bank of seats to one side.
It is time for all the ward occupants to go to bed. But rather than having a restful, innocent experience they writhe and shudder with pain, discomfort and anxiety. From this moment on, the show moves through a series of set pieces which deconstruct the image of the happy ward and its simple occupants. Beds are unmade and moved; clothes and flowers are strewn around.
As the image of the institution is pulled apart, its characters grow in richness and diversity. Starting in that uniform dance of pain, all in white, they start to move differently, dress differently, and express their individual views and aspirations.
Using music, dance, poetry, text and acting, Take Up Thy Bed & Walk asks subtle questions about society’s perception of people with disabilities.
The ward setting asks why disabilities are always viewed through a medical prism. There is a section where each performer lists the things they fear might happen to them, starting with dangers particular to their condition but moving quickly on to the fears of the general population. It begs the question – why are some vulnerabilities normal and healthy while others are considered worthy of comment and pity?
In another great moment, the four performers with disabilities sit holding up screens. Each person’s screen displays a series of words which other people use to describe them. Some of these are funny or outrageous. Others are just plain condescending. But the main thing is that for each list, there are one or two words which you can imagine yourself, or a friend, or a parent, using unthinkingly. This is obviously quite confronting.
Also interesting is the performance of Emma J Hawkins who describes herself as short statured. Visually, Emma is the performer who is most obviously physically different. However, her performance is not impaired by this physical difference in the least. On the contrary, she is physically impressive by anybody’s standards as she leaps, runs and throws herself to the ground. It is clear that, at least in the world of this show, the vast majority of Emma’s disability is in the eye of the beholder. We have taken difference and our minds have turned it into disadvantage, despite the fact that there is no evidence for this in Emma’s performance.
Take Up Thy Bed & Walk covers a lot of ideas but not always quickly enough. There are times where a dance, movement series or visual projection carries on a bit too long. This is truer earlier in the show before rapport with each character has been developed. And for every moment that drags, there are many others which shock you, touch you or make you laugh out loud.
This is a compelling work, made all the more powerful by the honest, personal communication of all its performers.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Vitalstatistix Theatre Company present
Take Up Thy Bed & Walk
Created & designed by Gaelle Mellis
Co-director: Ingrid Voorendt
Writer: Hilary Bell
Lighting design: Geoff Cobham
Sound design & music: Zoë Barry & Jed Palmer
Video production: Heath Britton & Jennifer Greer Holmes Animation: Heath Britton
Featuring Jo Dunbar, Emma J Hawkins, Kyra Kimpton, Michelle Ryan and Gerry Shearim
An accessible production, incorporating Auslan and subtitles
Waterside Theatre, Port Adelaide
24 October – 10 November
