For a little over a year, the non-profit Australian Theatre Live has made some of that continent’s most innovative stage productions available on demand.  Much like the New York Public Library’s Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, the platform also serves to preserve the works of a variety of performing artists. ATL is making their official US debut by hosting two public screenings — the second of which is in New York tomorrow* — as a springboard for building a relationship with a new audience. In addition to attracting theater lovers and fellow artists, they are offering an education-specific subscription service to bring this enriching content into the classroom.

For my introduction to the platform, I chose Kirsty Marillier’s Orange Thrower presented by the Griffin Theatre Company.  Griffin is Australia’s only theatre company that is dedicated exclusively to producing new playwrights.  Their Stables Theatre is a 105 seat house with a “kite shaped” stage that promotes a distinct and intimate relationship between performers and viewers.  That vibrancy translated well to the digital realm where director Peter Hiscock used three cameras to bring the home audience into the world created on stage by director/musician/performer Zindzi Okenyo.

The 80 minute comedic drama covers familiar territory from a unique perspective.  There is a layer of the mystical which is fittingly never fully explained.  This is not just a coming-of-age story, but rather one of coming-into-being.  We meet Zadie (Gabriela Van Wyk), a young woman of African decent living in a white suburban development, ironically called Paradise.  While she has code switched to the point of being almost permanently “on,” her younger sister Vimsey (Mariama Whitton) cannot wait to escape to a big city like Johannesburg where she’d find more people who look like her and share her perspective.  Their conflicting views are heightened when the two girls receive an unexpected visitor, Stekkie (director Okenyo) while their parents are away in South Africa.  Rounding out the cast is Callan Colley who provides brightness and levity in his two catalytic roles.  

Designer Jeremy Allen’s set is centered around an open rectangle which is both a physical and a metaphorical window.  The moody lighting by Verity Hampson and a soundscape by Benjamin Pierpoint in which memories make a noise add to the feeling of otherworldliness.  Easily changed costumes topped off by Dynae Wood’s perfect wigs complete the imagery.  There is a warning that the production includes depictions of drug use, gun violence and mature themes, though these moments are nearly dreamlike.

During the pandemic, some American theatre companies offered a streaming option, but more often in the US the art form has been entangled in red tape and mismanagement. The on-demand vault of Australian Theatre Live currently has 26 entries created in partnership with nearly two dozen theatres and arts organizations.  It illustrates the value of making theatre accessible to everyone whether they live miles from a venue, have limited income, or have mobility issues.  As important, every cent of a $7.99 per month subscription goes to supporting the artists.  Learn more at https://australiantheatre.live/.  

* New Yorkers: You can join ATL for the New York debut of Indigenous artist Dylan Van Den Berg’s Whitefella Yella Tree, another Griffin Theatre Company production, at the Australian Theatre Festival (1350 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 2400), on November 16, at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7:00 p.m.)  To  register your interest in attending, please fill out this form.

Tagged: ATL, Australian Theatre Festival, Australian Theatre Live, Benjamin Pierpoint, Callan Colley, Cathy Hammer, Dynae Wood, Gabriela Van Wyk, Griffin Theatre Company, Jeremy Allen, Kirsty Marillier, Mariama Whitton, Peter Hiscock, Stables Theatre, Verity Hampson, Zindzi Okenyo