Schism is the type of show that audiences expect from a theatre such as La Mama. Contemporary in form and content, and with great care, thought and appreciation shown by its makers, we now expect that today's theatre should be prepared and ready to intervene in that which is often referred to as the 'Now'. Schism does this in spades. The show is not only a fine example of theatre as installation art, its conceptual framework explores mental illness, global ecology, radical environmentalism and the multiplicity of self.
An anonymous woman who appears to be a scientist is trapped between two worlds. Apparently on the cusp of a miraculous scientific discovery, she is also obsessed by the thought of personal celebrity and the possible negative effect of her research. But the script is written and theatrically conceived in such a fashion that some doubt exists as to the identity and mental stability of the woman involved. It is also possible that she may have simply fantasised this entire scenario and that she is instead, tormented by a debilitating mental breakdown. That which unfolds is a powerful exploration of human frailty and also, an indictment of science and its capacity for superiority at the expense of ethics. The anonymous woman paces up and down a minimal set that adequately represents a personality in disintegration. She appears to be in dialogue with the recorded voice of a mysterious psychologist. But this could also be an aspect of her own personality; an inner-voice that questions and torments this woman, pushing her to perpetuate an extreme act of environmental "terrorism". Meanwhile, her dichotomous self, or the two aspects of one personality that remain in opposition to one another and which refuse to reconcile, prompts a descent into madness that can only have a singular and inevitable consequence.
I first saw this show during La Mama's Explorations season. Since that enjoyable incarnation, Schism has matured into a fully realised work. Its spatial configuration is wise and reflective. Its script has a recognisable rhythmical structure, and its design is a potent and clean interplay between set and sound. It was very satisfying to see the La Mama courthouse finally liberated from its usual seating arrangement and arranged in a manner that situated the audience as empirical observers; thereby placing the audience in the position of scientist and making the audience an implicit, yet active protagonist within the play. As all theatremakers should know, but also, as most theatremakers seem to readily forget, space is fundamental to drama. If you are not prepared to utilise space in new and exciting ways, or if you think it is too hard and too demanding on the rehearsal process, then the simple fact is your show will negate itself from opening night. Thankfully, Schism did not make this mistake. Furthermore, it is a show worth seeing because of its contemporaneous social concerns and its dissection of the malcontented human heart.
Schism
Writer: Melanie Bainbridge
Director: Suzie Hardgrave
Performer: Pippa Bainbridge
Set design: Casey Scott-Corless
Sound design: Skye Klein
Lighting design: Rebecca Etchell &
John McKissock
Voice coaching: Jennifer Innes
Stage Management: Sarah Grey
Production Management: Jessica
Gittel Corninsh
La Mama, February 9-19, Melb.
