Next Wave

UP IN ARMS

Allison Wiltshire schools Matthew Ziccone about the problem with body expectations.

Stepping out of rehearsal for a moment, Allison Wiltshire gets straight to the troubles of talking feminism. “It's an alienating issue for a lot of men because if you are like, 'It's all men's fault that women are perceived in this way,' that's an immediately alienating thing. I don't think feminism is about women or your personal experience as a woman, I think it's about the broader issues of the patriarchal systems that are surrounding that.”

Wiltshire, along with Zoey Dawson and Anna McCarthy, make up the company I'm Trying To Kiss You, who brought us I Know There's A Lot Of Noise Outside But You Have To Close Your Eyes back in 2011; now they bring Madonna Arms to Next Wave festival. Three years of research has resulted in 14 vignettes of differing intensity and comedic, poetic and cinematic delivery. “Each scene is about different experiences, or investigates a certain aspect of female body issues, through a cinematic trope or through a more poetic style, a variety of different things.”

One of the most fascinating approaches to exploring the idea that the team has had is to delve into the bizarre world of sci-fi. Wiltshire explains, “When you see women in sci-fi movies they're either powerful in a highly sexualised way or powerful in a really masculine way that they kind of take the tropes of masculinity. The aliens are always fought by really masculine men, or by monsters that are vagina-like, and wet, that they call 'bitch'. It's weird, right?”

“The problem is it is a very confusing issue. One side, women are told you have to be healthy, be fit, go to the gym, you can't eat carbs; and then another side, advertisements tells you that you should be eating carbs, and you shouldn't go to the gym, do yoga; and then of course the other side – why is this important, women should be free and not have big issues about it.”

If there's anyone to be putting on a show with this content, it's this group. This is a show to put in the calendar.

IN THE WAKE

Writer and performer David Finnigan tells Glenn Waller about the challenges of working with 70 actors.

This year's Next Wave festival will feature A Wake: Kids Killing Kids, the latest collaboration between Australian theatre company Too Many Weapons and the Philippines' Sipat Lawin Ensemble. The two companies first began working together back in 2012, when four Australian writers, including writer-performer David Finnigan, travelled to Manila to work on an adaptation of the cult Japanese novel, Battle Royale.

“The show (Battalia Royale) took place in an abandoned school and we had about 70 performers. It was a fairly violent depiction of a class of students who are forced to kill one another. We adapted directly from the novel, but quite a lot of changes were made with regards to the specific context of the Philippines, the performers, and our own interests as writers.”

While adapting such a work for the stage came with its own challenges and the logistics of working with that many performers presented an interesting learning curve, the response to the show was surprising. “We were entertaining having an indie theatre experience: 40 people, friends and family showing up and maybe a few interested public. Instead we had hundreds and then thousands of people coming along, and then began to get some international coverage and had a whole fan culture community cropping up.”

Last October saw Too Many Weapons produce a work which focused on these experiences, from a “white, Western perspective”. Following this, the Sipat Lawin Ensemble has been busy constructing its own response to what happened, back in the Philippines. Finnigan is looking forward to working with the Filipino group once again.

“Now they're on their way back and we're putting the two pieces together and provoking a conversation between the two companies by saying 'What happens when two groups like this get together and create a work of ultra violence in a country that has a violent history?'”

Overworld - one of our Next Wave must-sees.

THE MUSIC'S PICKS OF NEXT WAVE

For the time-poor who can only get to a select few works, here are our picks of the festival's must-see events.

This work created by Sarah Aiken and Rebecca Jensen was born when the artists spent time with witch Lexa Rosean in Germany. Rosean wore Nikes and uploaded her spells onto a MacBook Pro. Sound by Andras Fox.

30 Apr –  11 May, The Substation

Written by Louris van de Geer and directed by Samara Hersch, this stage show is set in a TV studio in the lead up to the May Fiesta. A killer ensemble will bring this piece to life: Susie Dee, Genevieve Giuffre, Aaron Orzech and Don Bridges.

30 Apr – 11 May, ACMI Studio 1

In Shian Law's large-scale performative dance installation, the audience can take part in what will be an evolving environment and add to the shared experience. Author and spectator, time and space, all blur to form something unique. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes and clothing!

1 – 11 May, Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall

Theatre collective to watch I'm Trying To Kiss You bring this new work about one woman's plight to become the sexiest warrior of all time. Written by Zoey Dawson, Anna McCarthy and Allison Wiltshire, this piece explores women's relationships to their bodies.

1 – 11 May, Arts House, Meat Market