The New Play That Explores The Disappointing Side Of Australia

Twin is a complex new play from exciting independent theatre company Arthur. The first of their three-part Myth Project, it follows Ana, who falls into a “dark, alternate world of riddles and dreams” after her twin's sudden disappearance, mixing opera-noir, cabaret and naturalistic drama.

The epic Myth Project comes from a team that has developed an excellent reputation since their founding in 2011 through a run of acclaimed plays, including Cut Snake which won Best Writing at the 2011 Melbourne Fringe Festival and is touring again this year. In 2014, Twin has been selected as part of the Melbourne Theatre Company's NEON Festival of Independent Theatre.

Arthur, a partnership between director Paige Rattray and producer Belinda Kelly, came about from a shared interest in works that were often not being programmed. “So we thought, 'What the hell, we'll put some of these plays on,'” says Rattray. 

Though she's reluctant to give much away about the plot – “It's one of those plays you just want to drop people into and see what they come out with at the end” – Rattray confirms that it definitely will make an assessment about modern Australia, a theme that Arthur's plays consistently deal with. The director describes the “alternate world” that Ana enters as “the dark rumblings underneath this top layer; the darker side of Australia”. She says that she feels mixed views and is often “very disappointed” in her home country. “It's a bit of push and pull, and you see us struggling with that throughout the show.”

Known for their intensified visual style in previous works, Twin will be no different. Rattray claims that the tone of the NEON promotional photo reads well visually for the rest of the play. Her and set designer Dave Fleischer collaborate on the sets and follow the motto “simple and bold”.

Arthur's regular collaborators Amelia Evans, Duncan Graham and Dan Giovannoni wrote the work together and have remained close with Rattray throughout the development process. “We're very honest – if something's not working we tell each other.” This feedback loop is essential to success: “For all of those voices to share the one vision is really important; you all need to be in the same world to make sure everyone knows their place.”

This is a huge effort given there are 43 actors on stage – 34 being Launceston College Ensemble students – as well as having a large crew. The risk that this creates is what fuels Rattray's passion for theatre. She tells The Music about the first screening of a film she made, when she strangely missed the fear of something going wrong. “It's the live performance [that interests me]; what you see on stage one night, you're never going to see again. As a director, once the curtains open and the lights go up on stage, you have to relinquish control, and I actually really enjoy doing that.”