The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes

The underlying aim of Geelong’s Back To Back Theatre company, they say, is to question assumptions about what’s possible in theatre. With their latest production, The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes – which recently premiered at Sydney’s Carriageworks and will next travel to the USA – that questioning isn’t just aimed at the theatre stage, but the world at large.

Five activists with intellectual disabilities are holding a meeting. Co-authors Michael Chan, Mark Deans, Simon Laherty, Sarah Mainwaring and Scott Price are the cast, their characters sharing their given names.

The stage design is minimal to a fault. To begin, Price, Mainwaring and Deans set up five chairs in the middle of the stage while Price explains to Deans that it’s inappropriate to touch yourself in public. Mark is asked to apply a line of tape to the floor, indicating where one should stand to address the congregation. 

At the back of the stage hangs a video screen transcribing everything the characters say. At first you assume it’s intended for anyone hard of hearing, but it soon reveals a sense of humour – the first indicator of the show’s major themes. 

There’s an eerie sense throughout that the line between art and reality is blurred. The five bicker about who will take charge of the meeting and what the point of it is anyway. They can all attest to the oppressive treatment endured by people with intellectual disabilities, but can’t agree on whether they accept being called disabled. 

Due to autism and brain injury, they’re treated like second-class citizens. For centuries this has had truly devastating implications for people in similar positions, and still today society is hostile to their attempts at growth.

But the world is changing, says Price. AI is rapidly infiltrating our lives, which means in the future all humans will have intellectual disabilities. The script is flipped and the show’s no longer just about those at the meeting, but everyone in the theatre. They address us directly, while also engaging in discussions with Siri.

The tone at times grows heated and desperate. There’s much to fear and a lot of self-reflection to be done as we consider whether we’ve been complicit in the perpetuation of a hierarchy that dehumanises many.

Throughout, however, Deans provides great comic relief. His lines are scarce, but his comic timing is impeccable. And so as a result, the narrative tension is much easier to bear.

The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes is provocative and will leave you with questions. It’ll also make you want to tell your friends to go see it. Now.