Oct 23 min read

sitting, screaming - Old Fitz Theatre (NSW)

Written by Madelaine Nunn. Directed by Lucy Clements

A piece that challenges us to defy its title. This piece yearns for us to stand, and shout our defiance from the rooftops.

Reviewed by Justin Clarke

Old Fitz Theatre, Woolloomooloo

Until 5th October, 2024

Tickets: https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/sitting-screaming

Sitting in the darkened space of the Old Fitz Theatre, we, the audience, find ourselves replicating the title of the show we’re here to see, albeit silently. sitting, screaming doesn’t venture into bold new territory so much as it serves as a reminder of the holes in our education system. It highlights the young lives who tend to slip through the cracks of the educational system. We see the trajectory the story takes, and thus here we watch, silently sitting and internally screaming.

Sam’s last year of high school is not without its tumultuous offering. Her father has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and has found herself an outsider from her friendship group. Instead she’s forced to attend counselling sessions at school in the severely underfunded system that a majority of public schools find themselves in. Her only shining light is the figure of the much loved teacher, Mr David, who takes a keen interest in helping her through her troubled transition.

sitting, screaming - Old Fitz Theatre (2024). Images by Phil Erbacher.

Madelaine Nunn’s new play holds an air of Prima Facie about it. Utilising the one woman method of storytelling, this production entrusts the role of Sam in the more than capable hands of Clare Hughes. Hughes' vocally acrobatic performance carries us through her journey as she introduces us to the people in her character’s life. Sitting next to every audience member is a thick booklet from Bravehearts, an organisation tasked with offering support and education in the face of child sexual abuse. It sits there, silently screaming at us to take it home and offer it to someone who needs it.

Lucy Clements' direction allows Hughes to warm into the structure of the piece as the story progresses. At first, it takes a while for us to see the world that Hughes is creating, however, as we begin to learn the characters in her life, Hughes takes on nuanced physicalities and vocal transitions that see each one come to life. This foundation pays off in the play’s climactic moments of tension as a recognisable, vocal timbre creeps in from around an office corner, making Sam’s and the audiences’ blood run cold.

...serves as a vital reminder of the endurance of young women in a system set up to see them struggle

Hailley Hunt’s set design is cold and metallic, reflective of the bitter and unforgiving circumstances that Sam finds herself in. This is aided by Sam Cheng’s electronic sound design and Luna Ng’s lighting design filled with hues of blue and white which bounce off the reflective surfaces surrounding our protagonist.

As someone who has done their slog of time in the public education system, Sam’s story is not a new one, nor is it any less important to pay the closest of attention to. The piece may not offer anything inherently new or groundbreaking in its storytelling, but it serves as a vital reminder of the endurance of young women in a system set up to see them struggle.

...a targeted excavation of the foundations of the public school system, one which is continuously underfunded in favour of the private

It would be too ignorant to dismiss this piece, saying that this type of thing doesn’t happen as much nowadays. A simple reading of news headlines would quickly shut down any such response. Nunn’s piece of new work is also a targeted excavation of the foundations of the public school system, one which is continuously underfunded in favour of the private sector. The work highlights how positions of power can so easily become a breeding ground for corruption and for young innocents to fall through the cracks of society where the darkest of creatures linger.

sitting, screaming is in its final days at the Old Fitz Theatre, and one which is not to be avoided. The play’s final moments offer a glimpse of hope on the horizon, passing the torch to us to no longer sit silently, internally screaming, but instead shout our protests from the rooftops.

CAST & CREATIVES

Producing Company: New Ghosts Theatre Company

Playwright: Madelaine Nunn

Director: Lucy Clements

Producer: Emma Wright

Production Manager: Amy Norton

Costume & Set Designer: Hailley Hunt

Composer & Sound Designer: Sam Cheng

Lighting Designer: Luna Ng

Lighting Design Mentor: Veronique Benett

Stage Manager: Natalie Baghoumian

Assistant Director & Understudy: Jade Julian