‘talking about family while exploring memory, childhood and mental health’.
In examining our families, and of course in other settings, we seek to understand our past and make sense of how we have been shaped, in order to see who we are now. We learn how to communicate and how to be in relationship from our first social setting; our family of origin. There are different ways that we recollect, and the script invites us to follow a journey of two sisters, back and forth in time. We are invited into juxtapositions, reiterations, and dual memory perspectives from the two sisters who are essentially opposite in type. Their interpretations of the survival struggle of their mother, poverty, and emotional abandonment are seen through the lens of contrast; invisible or visible, happy or sad, and hippie versus conservative. Based on our different ages and where we are developmentally, as well as our personalities, memories are different and equally valid. Our different needs get expressed in certain ways based on these variables.
‘LongPlay’ 318 St Georges Rd, North Fitzroy is a café and tiny theatre or cinema that seats 20. While lighting may be a tad tricky, it is fine for two-handers.
Delightful Rebecca has only been in this country for a short time. Initially from Venezeula, she was involved in theatre throughout high school. With studies in audio visual arts and mass communications, her love of drama and writing has informed everything she has done. She has lived in Mexico and London, before coming to Melbourne where she is in her first year at the National Theatre Drama School.
Due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, the actors left mid-production.
“But the show must go on… and after all our work I’ve decided to keep going for the last three shows from Monday to Wednesday. It’s not going to be a full performance: instead, I’ve worked with two new actresses that are ready to jump in last minute will do a reading with script on hand and on character with sound transitions”, she explained.
The two replacement actors who read the script were Daisy Coyle, 22 and Leah Winterton, 28. They took to the script with alacrity – Daisy loved the clear writing and episodic treatment, and Leah was taken with the beautiful writing that had space and nuance. Leah particularly liked the way the story spanned years whilst revealing different layers of intimacy.
Rebecca’s morphing of time zones, and repetitions was done with both humour and poignancy. Her passion for Jenny Kemp’s surreal tone, and the dysfunctional families depicted in the films of Ingmar Bergman and Wes Anderson has always intrigued her.
Her enthusiasm, desire to keep learning, and her practitioner ethics are likely to bode well for her future as a writer and actor. She sought permission from her sister, went through STAR NOW and shortlisted for auditions, and advised people when the play was altered to a play-reading.
