Imagine a consenting relationship between three people, now imagine them all being women. The Fringeworld production Poly offers an insight into what that would look like…
It seems three women in love makes for an interesting show.
Showing at the Moonhouse Tent just outside the Court Hotel, the previously sold out production attributes it success to a number of key aspects, actress Ann-Marie Biagioni explained:
‘It’s relatable to everybody, the context doesn’t really matter, which is why I think we’ve drawn a really great crowd. People who are gay are coming to see it, to appreciate the fact that this is something not prominent here. There is not a lot of theatre about this kind of thing. I think places like this need that kind of stuff. I think the reaction of some people that came to the show were just purely taken aback, it’s all written by the youth.’
Polyamory is the practice of having more than one intimate relationship at a time, with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved. Director Scott Corbet explained how this form of relationship is surprisingly common.
‘It turns out polyamory is quite a big thing! Each state has its own polyamorous society and it’s really much bigger than I thought it would be. Then we just jumped online on blog sites and just posted that we were doing a play about polyamory and got some great responses. People are really willing to share their life stories.’
With both the lesbian and polyamorous community claiming a lack of representation in society, Poly promises to offer visibility not shown elsewhere in the festival.
‘People are just going “we need that” it has been so good to watch.’ said Biagioni. ‘Some people will come and have a completely different experience to others. We’re not putting on a production for you to go “Oh! Lesbians!” it’s like… this is human nature!’
The straight actress explained the challenges of her role in the production. ‘Making out with girls was just a momentary “shit! That’s something I’d never done before”, but you ease into that. I think the hardest part definitely was trying to navigate the emotional side of it, to really get into the mindset of somebody who has come from straight relationships, this is the first time she’s experienced falling in love with a woman, then two at the same time so it’s sort of a mind explosion, that’s kind of difficult.’
Poly will be showing at the Moonhouse Tent at Fringeworld from February 20 – 24. Grab your tickets at fringeworld.com.au
Nadine Walker
