Memory is a peculiar beast. Sometimes it can be sharp while at other times it can bend and warp, twist itself into a version of what really happened, a variation of the actual.
And occasionally, memories can disappear entirely. At least for a while that is.
Repressed memory is a real phenomenon. It usually occurs as a result of someone blocking out a traumatic or painful experience. In the case of exciting new Perth production, The Myth Of Julian Rose, those repressed memories manifest in a most monstrous way. Literally.
‘The writer Daniel (Kershaw) wanted to create a piece of work that revealed how traumatic the fallout of suppressed memories can be,’ explained director and WAAPA Masters student Marisa Garreffa.
‘The resulting story is about a couple, Julian and Isabella, who are on the brink of having a baby. As the pregnancy develops, so too does a creeping madness that begins to overtake Julian.’
In spectacular theatrical style, this madness emerges – physically – as a Minotaur from Greek mythology, and more exactly the myth of Theseus, who travels deep in to the labyrinth beneath Crete to confront the beast therein.
‘The play suggests that the emotional recoil from a traumatic experience will always find a way to express itself – even if you have chosen to bury the memory of it,’ Garreffa explained.
When it comes to the physical portrayal of the Greek Minotaur, Garreffa has called on the skills on physical performer Sarah Nelson, costume designer Colleen Sutherland and sound artist Tristen Parr.
The result is a 10 foot tall walking monster, sinister and looming, yet ethereal and imagined at the edges.
‘Each element (of the Minotaur) is being explored through a collision of the real and the abstract. In one sense we are using the classic Minotaur to inform the overall shape of the creature.
‘However we are working closely with what the Minotaur represents in the myth – sex and death – when we consider what textures to work with and how to create the movement vocabulary for the beast. At all times we are making choices that evoke a sense of death and eventually a sexuality that is steeped in horror.’
As Garreffa pointed out, Greek mythology is a wealth of dark tales which can reveal the cruelest story of humanity. Ultimately, they highlight the great triptych of human experience: love, sex and death.
‘In Greek mythology human beings are more powerful than they can ever imagine and yet they are also degraded to unspeakable depths.
‘It is in these delicious extremes where we find the greatest acts of humanity – from the most extraordinary acts of kindness to a state of vulnerability that is so exposed… we see the inner child weeping. There is great power in these extremes.
‘In Australia, where we are growing increasingly conservative, audiences should be thirsty to experience the relentless emotion of epic storytelling.’
The Myth of Julian Rose is on at The Blue Room from June 8 to June 26. www.blueroom.org.au
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
