Director Alison Walls’ model of Dance Nation by American playwright Clare Barron is the strongest work staged on the Court Theatre this season. Much of this rests on Barron’s script, which is a piece of interiority in sharp focus. Headed by their stereotypically authoritarian dance instructor, a gaggle of pre-adolescent tweens compete to win a dance competitors. Over the course of the play, every of the youngsters recognises their place – or lack of place – throughout the cut-throat area of the grownup world. Crucially, puberty begins. For these characters, adolescence brings with it worries in regards to the physique, about psychological well being, about future prospects. The play exhibits these worries enjoying out in a sequence of vignettes because the tweenagers put together to compete within the climactic competitors.
Mark McEntyre’s set is the star of Court Theatre‘s manufacturing for me. In the centre of the set are quite a few mirror panels, which distort the our bodies of whoever is standing in entrance of them, and, for the viewers, replicate us trying again on ourselves. Those of us sitting within the viewers turn out to be distorted variations of our exteriors simply because the pre-adolescent characters fear in regards to the distortions of their very own our bodies, their very own worries. This set is pretty nimbly utilized by director Alison Walls, although I at occasions want transitions moved sooner, had been cleaner, or that completely different stage areas might have been extra remoted from one another.
Ultimately, Dance Nation is a manufacturing that above all depends on its solid (all adults enjoying the tweens). The spotlight for me is Lizzie Tollemache as Ashlee. In the penultimate scene earlier than the present’s interval, Tollemache approaches a genuinely good monologue with gusto – it’s each a provocation to the viewers and the present’s manifesto, vulgar and disturbing in equal measure. The remainder of the present will be vulgar and disturbing, too, however it’s additionally delicate and delicately noticed. Keagan Carr Fransch as Zuzu holds the present’s delicate aspect collectively, delicately threading the needle between each halves of the present’s divide – tender and tense. Tom Eason brings a delicate power to Luke, the only real boy within the dance troupe, and makes me snigger usually, even when positioned within the background of scenes. For anybody that grew up dancing after college or on weekends, this present will likely be stuffed with flashback moments. Kira Josephson’s choreography had me cracking up with its evocation of stage problem, of cheesy modern dance competitors, of Musical Theatre (the variability taught in courses). The choreography and general physicality of the ensemble is well-complemented by William Burns’ dreamy sound design, although at occasions I want that the sound design had been rather less literal. It feels just like the audio on this specific manufacturing has two modes, ‘normal’ and ‘weird,’ and I needed for some sort of distorted center floor – dare I say it, one thing Lynchian.
If there’s little to speak about on this overview, it is just as a result of the manufacturing is so tight. When it involves questions of the broader arts ecology in Ōtautahi, I can’t assist however be aware that there will need to have been lower than 100 individuals in my viewers – and lots of of them left at half time. This signifies that the advertising for this present has been misdirected, and maybe that the viewers had no concept what they had been stepping into. The Court Theatre are persevering with to take daring steps in
their position as taste-makers with this 12 months’s programme. They want to carry the road going ahead: be courageous, and the viewers for this work will step up. At the identical time, Court Theatre have to assist the broader arts ecology in Ōtautahi – the humanities ecology that primes audiences to count on, respect, and wish to see work like this. I’ll say it once more: it’s the strongest work staged at Court Theatre this season. It’s only a disgrace there have been so few individuals there.
The reviewer acknowledges The Press’ investigation into Court Theatre and helps the workers of their need for a more healthy work tradition.
Dance Nation performs Court Theatre 23 September until 21 October, 2023.
