The Hope Song is theatre that will stay with you long after the stage lights have dimmed, and the applause has ended.<\/p>\n
Presented by Anglesea Performing Arts (APA), the play is honest, often sad and sometimes very funny, thanks to Janet Brown\u2019s finely crafted script, Iris Walshe-Howling and Janine McKenzie\u2019s collaborative direction, and the cast\u2019s uniformly excellent performances.<\/p>\n
Eight people are onstage throughout: seven actors and a musician.<\/p>\n
Each actor portrays one of the people Ms Brown interviewed for her script, the words they speak are the words of real people living with mental illness.<\/p>\n
Phillip Besancon (Birdman), Stacey Carmichael (Lizzie), Stuart Errey (Michael), Simon Finch (Dave), Lina Libroaperto (Jill), Libby Stapleton (Louise) and Nicki Watson (Sally) perform with such integrity and skill, it\u2019s easy to forget they are acting.<\/p>\n
The opening choreographed sequence of motion and stillness confronts and fascinates.<\/p>\n
Faces and bodies contort with the agony \u2013 and several times, the ecstasy \u2013 of mental illness, becoming more menacing as the actors move towards the audience, gibbering.<\/p>\n
Then they stop, sit and start to share their stories – anxiety features in several; bipolar, post-traumatic stress disorder,
\nschizophrenia, depression and eating disorder in others.<\/p>\n
The cast\u2019s diversity shows that mental illness can affect anyone of any age and walk of life. The youngest character is a Year 11 student and the oldest a 60-something recently retrenched executive.<\/p>\n
Musician Tim Hulsman is a talented guitarist with a strong, versatile voice.<\/p>\n
His rendition of each character\u2019s signature song, from the Christian gospel of \u201cBe Held\u201d to the guttural soul of \u201cWith a Little Help from my Friends\u201d, packs a punch \u2013 every time.<\/p>\n
This production at Geelong\u2019s Courthouse Theatre follows sold-out seasons in Anglesea and at La Mama in Melbourne, may The Hope Song continue to extend its reach out into the big wide world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Hope Song is theatre that will stay with you long after the stage lights have dimmed, and the applause has ended. Presented by Anglesea Performing Arts (APA), the play is honest, often sad and sometimes very funny, thanks to Janet Brown\u2019s finely crafted script, Iris Walshe-Howling and Janine McKenzie\u2019s collaborative direction, and the cast\u2019s […]<\/p>\n