Pigzilla

Let's step back in time to 1945, when the US were testing nuclear bombs in the South Pacific. In the hold of a Japanese warship are two animals, a pig and a goat. They are there as guinea pigs – excuse the pun – standing in for human beings, part of an experiment measuring the impact on of an atomic explosion on bodies. Pig 311, a two-hander by Bill Dodson and directed by his sister Judith, tells the story from the animals' perspectives.

“It's based on a true story,” says performer Geraint Hill. “Two animals, 311 and 315, did survive the bomb blast.” History aside, the personalities of Pig and Goat are what drives the play. “Pig's conservative; Liberal, in the Australian sense of the word,” says Hill, who hails from the UK. “He's a chap in a bowler hat, thinks he knows everything but doesn't know as much as he thinks; it's his chink in the armour, his bravado that makes him appealing.”

“Goat comes across as stupid,” adds MacDonald. “He is articulate, he's a smart goat and does know things, but he isn't a natural leader; he's an easygoing guy. Even when there are high stakes, he'll be fine. Nothing gets him down, not even an atomic bomb.” Pig 311 is Hill and MacDonald's first show after graduating from the University of Ballarat, and to say they're enjoying themselves is understatement. Both actors are thrumming with enthusiasm for the play. “We're having so much fun doing it,” MacDonald says. “We've been working on it a long time and it still feels very fresh to perform.”

The interplay between the two creates the comedy, say the actors. The fact that the characters are farm animals is beside the point.” Pig is confronted by someone he thinks is inferior,” observes Hill. “We're really two guys having a conversation, surrounded by fear and xenophobia, going off on weird tangents.” Both performers are revelling in the fact that Bill Dodson, a navy man himself, has been generous in allowing them to run wild with his script. “There's a fair bit of ad-libbing,” explains Hill. The script, as well as being extremely funny, is also informative. “A lot of it is educational,” he continues. “There's a lot of information; it's factual but it needs to be.” “It's really well-written,” notes MacDonald. “The characters are always bouncing off each other. I find it really hard not to laugh at you,” he says to Hill. “Laugh with you.”

It's hard to imagine anything less funny than the results of a nuclear explosion. How are the characters affected? “Goat is fine; he's not affected,” says MacDonald. “Nothing gets him down. Pig, not so much. There are consequences.” But the two do survive, so you can say the play has a happy ending of sorts. “It's important to keep it in context,” Hill notes. “We want to entertain people. It is a comedy.” “It's interesting and entertaining,” adds MacDonald. It'll be a blast.