“Hadley’s performance in the role on this night successfully traversed the outward feelings of aggression and passion with the devastating realisation of the soldier’s inner trauma…”
“What makes Intact so intriguing is that all the elements that bring it together are finely nuanced and restrained.“
– Brendan Miles
3.5 / 5 stars
Just off Cleveland St in Redfern, Woodburn Creatives is an intimate space with the capacity for performances utilising the space in any number of ways. It is the home of a relative new company, Fuser, which is what the name conveys, a blend of dance/performance to create an intimate immersive experience with the narrative of short play
Under the guidance of company founder Cecile Payet, Intact is a performance piece, performed alternatively by Olivia Hadley and Steven Lu about a soldier’s return from war and how we reinvent ourselves in an attempt to adapt to extreme challenges. Unable to relate to whom one once was, and without a compass to direct one towards any sense of purpose, both the soldier and the audience are encouraged to sit in what ‘stuck’ feels like and confront the soldier’s transformation in a revealing experience of identity.
Hadley’s performance in the role on this night successfully traversed the outward feelings of aggression and passion with the devastating realisation of the soldier’s inner trauma.
As an accomplished dancer, Hadley moves through the stages of the soldier’s journey with a fluency and naturalism which brings an earthiness to the performance, most notably in the reenactments of combat which, whilst meticulously choreographed, have a freeform feel about them giving the piece the spontaneity it needs to convincingly convey the turmoil of the soldier’s physical and emotional trauma, the payoff being when everything is delightfully flipped in an instant as she discovers a new way of movement and expression via a simple chair.
What makes Intact so intriguing is that all the elements that bring it together are finely nuanced and restrained. The piece is devised by Payet, Hadley and Lu along with Emily Yali Sabrina Muszynski and is clear and impactful without the desire to be bold or (shudder) avant garde. The lighting (Travis Kecek), set (Sam Wylie) and music design is also about complementing the performer rather than compensating, which in all cements the production together.
Woodburn Creatives is a relatively new addition to Sydney’s art/theatre scene and a welcome one at that. Like the Tap Gallery, Sydney needs spaces where emerging companies can get a foothold in a competitive theatre market (for space that is). On the promise shown with Intact, let’s hope that companies like Fuser can continue to explore and grow new works in an environment which is encouraging and supportive.
Brendan Miles, Theatre Now
Photography: Adam Scarf
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