Over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending a play put on by students at UOW called Fractured. It was a collection of four plays in which the first three were written by the celebrated socialist-feminist playwright Caryl Churchill: Kill, Glass and Bluebeard’s Friends. These plays delve into harsher themes such as love and loss, murder and suicide, and the fragility of the human heart. Churchill’s plays challenge the traditional fairy tale trope, merging further into the feminist remake of the fairytale, the ‘dark’ fairytale, in the modernist period.
Kill was a philosophical conversation between the ‘gods’ directed towards the audience discussing the crueller acts of man and judging humankind for behaving in such ways on behalf of the gods, which they themselves acknowledge, “don’t exist.” Topics such as murder and immorality were mentioned while two actors played instruments on the side of the stage, made noises and scraped knives on metal, creating an eerie, out-of-this-world sensation.
Transitioning to the second play with Radiohead playing in the background, the actors changed costumes and setting to ‘Glass.’ Their fantastic acting, music and lighting transfixed the audience creating a melancholy atmosphere matching the sad but very important messages of the play. This play spoke of the troubles teenagers go through with mental health and friendships. The protagonist, a girl made of glass, made the perfect metaphor for the fragility of teenage minds and an amazing oxymoron for their transparency.
Caryl Churchill drew inspiration from the classic 17th-century French fairytale of a filthy rich man who murders multiple wives in his mansion. In this modern interpretation of the fairytale, Bluebeard’s former friends react to the news that they’re friend was a serial killer. In these chaotic scenes, the friends switch back and forth between talking through their shock and the night of the party through drastic flashbacks which progress from innocent dancing to full-on punch ons.
Finally, 48 Degrees and Rising, inspired by an infamous short sci-fi story, The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, also known for The Haunting of Hill House, is a dystopian horror that addresses relevant modern issues such as global warming and social hierarchy. In the year 2154, the earth is so hot it is literally killing people on the spot. The human population resort to an annual lottery where the person picked gets stoned as a sacrifice for rain. This tale of survival and sacrifice was moving in a personal sense as we got to see what our world could really become.
CAST
KILL
The Gods: Jordan-Leigh Estephan, Kate Walker, Blake Hahn
Musicians: Amy Scammell and Jarrah Carlile
GLASS
Glass Girl: Amy Scammell
Friend, Vase: Jarrah Carlile
Brother, Clock, Father: William Braham
Red Dog, Girlfriend: Naomi Attard
Bitchy School Girls: Jordan-Leigh Estephan, Kate Walker, Blake Hahn
BLUEBEARD’S FRIENDS
Naomi Attard, William Braham, Jarrah Carlile, Jordan-Leigh Estephan, Black Hahn, Amy Scammell, Kate Walker
48 DEGREES
Gentle Francis: Jarrah Carlile
Skye: Kate Walker
Dan: William Braham
Nancy: Amy Scammell
Joe, Kid: Blake Hahn
Old Man Warner: Jordan-Leigh Estephan
Vicky: Naomi Attard
Creative and Technical Team
Assistant Directors
Kill Kate Walker
Glass Jarrah Carlile
Bluebeard’s Friends Blake Hahn
48 Degrees and Rising Amy Scammell
Lighting Design Team
Tibee Leung, Emily Smith, George Schweitzer Monica Newsome, Samuel Wong
Lighting Mentor
Fausto Brusamolino
Costume Designer
Charlotte Tucker
Lighting Operator
Tibee Leung
Sound Operator
Isabella Harkness
Production and Stage Manager
Isabella Harkness
Assistant Stage Manager
Monica Newsome
Front of House Managers
Blake Hahn and Kate Walker
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