Nick Enright. ACJ Productions. Tandanya Theatre. 24 Feb 16
Blackrock is a play written by Nick Enright which, some may argue, is based on the real life rape and murder of Leigh Leigh in Stockton, Newcastle on the 3rd of November 1989. The play, originally written in under the title A Property of the Clan in 1992 and then adapted to Blackrock in 1995, was also made into a film of the same name. Neither the play nor the film state that their stories are based on actual events and much of the contents has since been debunked as fiction.
It is, nonetheless, a compelling story, which explores the many and varied themes of mateship, sexual violence, patriarchy, misogyny, substance abuse, masculinity, teen angst, parenting, and privilege – no small feat for a cast of young actors.
The script is action packed, but the colloquial language initially jars and creates a barrier to the delivery of meaning. Did teens really talk that way in the 90s? Do they talk that way now? Repent to the grammar gods before it is too late!
The production company, ACJ appears to be relatively new on the scene with little info available on who they are or where they have come from. Many of the cast appear to be current students of, or alumni to, Westminster School. The director, Dana Cropley, and Production Manager, Olivia Cromarty, take roles in the show as Diane Kirby and Glenys Milenko respectively; the parents of central characters Jared and Cherie.
Cropley places the action relatively well on stage, and the performers demonstrate a fairly strong understanding of placement, stillness and focus. The whole cast is very young (one would be prepared to guess there wasn’t a player over 20 years of age), so their youth and immaturity is evident, but not distracting.
There are strong performances by Josh Rayner, as Jared, and Patrick Dodd as Ricko; a well measured and solid characterisation from Amy Bower as Tiffany Owens; and a considered performance from Matthew Cropley in the role of Toby. Brittany Matters and Christina Devetzidis in the younger, key female roles take the honours with their standout performances as Cherie Milenko and Rachel Ackland.
The sound and lighting operators could do with comparing cue notes – unfortunately the lights regularly faded out too slowly, leaving the actors (whose pace was otherwise excellent) standing in silence waiting for the blackout; whereas the musical interludes between scenes were often cut off at full volume when they would have benefited from a gentle fade.
The set has been designed by the cast; with the ‘rock’ central to the theme. The stage is otherwise left bare, with only two upstage entrances and a sign used to delineate time and location. It is effective, even though the prominent rock is used in less than one third of the scenes.
There are certainly a few up-and-coming performers amongst this cast, and the energetic and appreciative audience of family and peers gave solid applause at the efforts. ACJ Productions’ Blackrock has all the right ingredients.
Paul Rodda
When: 24 to 28 Feb
Where: Tandanya Theatre
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
