ONE WAY MIRROR, written and directed by Paul Gilchrist (produced by Daniela Giorgi) in association with subtlenuance, is an intriguing piece of drama. Part vertabum / part meta-theatre it totally engages the audience due to its subject matter and presentation style.
On entering the performance space, the actors greet and guide you into single rows of chairs in a traverse stage seating pattern. It’s very intimate and mighty close to the action. The lighting is stark, the actors dressed just like us. My heart sank somewhat as I trembled at the thought of audience participation- not my thing. I was glad to discover that that was not on the bill for in this show there is no shortage of participants wishing to be played with and experimented on, for this is the whole premise of the play.
Fifty years ago Stanley Milgram, the American social psychologist, created experiments that enabled him and his team to discover the average person’s ease in performing acts in contrast with their own natural thoughts and philosophies. The deal was that actors, posing as everyday people, were paid to undertake certain tasks. Into this “laboratory” an unknowing volunteer would be inserted. The actors were asked to collectively bring the task to a conclusion which mostly rubbed against what would be the natural order of things. Statistics (produced throughout the 1960s) resulted in the greater part of volunteers following suit – ie ‘mob rule”. Ionesco in Rhinoceros showed us where being led by the majority gets us, one man aghast at his fellow townspeople believing that the streets are filled with imaginary rhinos. Durrenmatt touches on similar themes in The Visit where the townsfolk go to extreme lengths to fit in and ingratiate themselves, his play allegorical for Swiss neutrality and Ionesco’s for Nazism. Indeed Gilchrist’s play too alludes to these world as it begins with a vignette of Adolf ‘I was just obeying orders” Eichmann during his post WW2 trial. His declarations were as chilling as those who said that they did not know that the death camps existed.
The actors (Matthew Abotomey, Alison Benstead, Angus Evans, Sylvia Keays, Sonya Kerr, Mark Langham, Linda Nicholls-Gridley, Ash Sakha and Sheree Zellner) play various roles with commitment and just the correct amount of wry cynicism. The character inter-relationships are engrossing throughout the play, which is perfectly paced. I revelled in the writing about truth and lies and the meaning of these for those actors being paid for these experiments compared to the essence of truth that is required to be a great actor. Surely it’s the greater the pretence then the more convincing the performance. Much has been written about being in the moment in performance but really it’s acting at the end of the day.
Sydney theatre goers are very blessed with new writing and this is yet another fine example. There is much food for thought in the play which is never preachy or smugly performed. There are plenty of laughs and many touching moments amongst all the experimentation. Highly recommended.
Mark G Nagle – Theatre Now & On The Town
One Way Mirror
Paul Gilchrist
14 – 24 March 2018
Tue – Sat 7pm
Friday and Saturday nights at 7.30pm
Sunday matinée at 4.30pm
Venue: Blood Moon Theatre
Theatre Company: subtlenuance
Duration: n/a
