The four short plays I got to watch on Tuesday night were “The Disease of Anger”, “Jinx”, “Homo Homini Lupus” and “Lead”, which were all incredibly performed and well-rehearsed. It was clear the cast, crew and everyone involved in the production were passionate about their work and really honed their skills in all areas. Each play was a joint team effort, and whilst watching them, I was able to appreciate the amount of hard work all the NUTS society cast and crew had put in!
My night began with “The Disease of Anger” written and directed by Jasmin Schofield, an astonishing exploration into human complexity, trauma and nature. The show’s overarching themes on mental health, striving for change and introspection into emotions were felt throughout the entirety of its runtime, and I must give a round of applause to Schofield for her brilliance in writing and directing this touching production. The cast all deserve a huge round of applause, as they portrayed their characters so well! I especially enjoyed the character of Jane, who was played by Charlotte Krautz. Her excellent delivery of lines and raw emotions consistently sent shivers down my spine and my arms had goosebumps the whole time! Also, the humour that Ella McGuire brought through her portrayal of Misty was such a refreshing contrast to the deep, dark undertones of the whole play. Watching Misty being oblivious and missing the stark contrast between her and Jane’s situation play out in real-time was so hilarious. This play deserves all the flowers and more!
A short while later, the second production began. Written and directed by Lily Carter, “Jinx” is a clever, motivating and unexpected play that caught me off guard. The play explores the irony behind superstition and how humans can induce their own prophecies. Carter’s direction of lighting was extremely well thought out and symbolic of the direction of the play’s mood. Both Jack Batchelor and Beatrice Upton-Oettel embodied their characters, Bruce and Jayce respectively, in full spirit. This was evident with the tactical silences between dialogue, which built up the play’s tension. Furthermore, their body language demonstrated just how well they harnessed their character’s potential. A huge hats off to Batchelor and Upton-Oettel on their skilful rendition of the characters! Nothing could’ve prepared me for the sudden plot twist that spawned out of nowhere as it was so left field and unexpected, it genuinely startled me! The whole crew must be commended for their amazing production. The cliff hanger I was left on has been eating away at me since; if I wish for a sequel, will I be “jinx”ing it?
After a short intermission, “Homo Homini Lupus” was the next play I watched. Directed by Eliza Jones and written by Bora Celebi, “Homo Homini Lupus” is a mirror of the underlying institutional issues within Australian culture and society. A non-linear play about the Australian boarding school experiences where I watched Luke, played by Alec Gibson, turn into what he truly feared. The use of flashbacks to provide the audience with context as to how Luke ended up in this situation is truly ingenious and so I must congratulate Jones on her directing. The lighting was impeccably harnessed to symbolise the importance of certain scenes or characters, which I gotta say was hella cool. Gibson’s emotional depiction of Luke was exceptional. Their body language, facial expressions and line deliveries almost made me feel like I was there in person - another round of applause for Gibson, please! Also, Trinity Ray and Isabel Hathorn perfectly portrayed John and Christian, the high school’s pretentious popular footy boys. Ray really brought the humour to the production through her personification of John, I was laughing the whole time! I felt so empathetic for Berkay as his high school experience was so relatable as a first gen immigrant myself. Celebi playing Berkay was so cool to see – it’s like when directors are characters in their own films! This production was my favourite for the night, with the plot being particularly engaging, and the characters being well-developed throughout. Guaranteed, I would watch this as a proper musical!
The final play I got to watch was “Lead”. “Lead”, directed by Katherin Wu and written by Eliza Hoh, was an encapsulating performance illustrating the issues that corporate culture and work life holds for many individuals in today’s world. Renzo Alcordo and Anastasia Dougenis did an amazing job depicting the human condition through their characters David and Lou, with Alcordo conveying raw emotion behind his dialogue and Dougenis setting the mood in any scene through her direct and brief dialogues. Finn Sargeant was this piece’s main comedic relief, and his onstage character Mr Hugo, the typical corporate finance bro, reflected exactly that. I thought the use of elevator music during scene changes was hilarious, as it kept the audience entertained and brought an awkward humour to the otherwise more serious piece. The onstage interactions between the characters were so funny and really made me feel like they were genuine. One specific part I remember was during the scene changes, if Alcordo had to move the table, he would patiently wait for another cast member to come help him, although no audible words were spoken. This was so hilarious to me! The ending of this piece felt quite right and left my heart feeling very warm, so I must commend the cast, crew and everyone involved in their joint effort in creating and performing a thought-provoking play to finish the night!
Overall, big props to the crew, as the transitions between plays were almost seamless and so quick! The entire production was smooth, flawless and well-done, a true reflection of the dedication of the cast, crew and everyone involved. To the readers of this article, I would highly encourage that if you have a chance, you should check out NUTS’ “Whose Play is It Anyway” - you may be pleasantly surprised!
