WHEN Samantha Maclean graduated from WAAPA last year with a Bachelor of Performing Arts, she decided she wanted to extend one of her course assignments into a full-length work.
“It was inspired by a very abstract monologue in Martin Crimp’s play Attempts on Her Life,” Maclean said.
“Sometimes I feel when I’m working on a piece that I’m not done with it and I definitely wasn’t done with that.
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READ NOW“I decided I really wanted to direct it but wasn’t sure I had the skill-set yet for something so huge.”
Maclean asked fellow graduate Tim Green to join her as co-director on Tissue, a play examining the stigma surrounding pornography on the lives of young Australians and how it affects their relationships.
“My strengths are writing and dramaturgy whereas Tim is an amazing visual maker,” 20-year-old Maclean said.
“He has a wonderful set of complementary skills to mine and we get along well on a personal level, which is nice going into a really intense process.”
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The devised theatre work features a cast of WAAPA graduates Elijah Melvin and Taryn Ryan, with Curtin University graduate Ann Marie Biagioni presenting the subject from a young Australian point of view.
It follows the story of a couple living in Perth, is abstract in form and includes a Greek chorus.
“At the heart of it, it is a story about two people and another co-worker of theirs,” Maclean said.
“We see them struggle through communicating and shame and trying to talk to each other; looking at themselves, what they like and what they should like and should want.”
Green (24) said they hoped Tissue opened channels and started conversations among their audiences.
“I’m interested to see if it does or if people walk out and actively don’t want to talk to each other,” he said.
“We don’t think there’s much that’s black and white about this topic,” Maclean said.
“So we don’t think there’s much that’s black and white about the show either.”
THE ESSENTIALS
What: Tissue
Where: The Blue Room Theatre, Northbridge
When: November 8 to 26
Tickets: www.blueroom.org.au