UnSeen
\nby Kelly Vincent & Alirio Zavarce
\nand the True Ability Ensemble.
\nSpace Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
\nDecember 1.<\/p>\n
Seeing and Believing<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of things that are really hard about being disabled,\u201d writer and advocate Kelly Vincent said in a recent interview in CityMag. \u201cBut most of them are not because [of the disability]. It\u2019s because of the barriers that society puts up for disabled people – from barriers to socialising and attending events and parties, to finding employment, to finding a sense of self and community, to getting the right support.\u201d<\/p>\n
UnSeen<\/em>, a joint venture between Vincent and director Alirio Zavarce , introduces a new performance company, The True Ability Ensemble, nine remarkable people individually and collectively telling their stories of difficulty and isolation – as well as accomplishment and triumph – in an often obstructive and unaccommodating world.<\/p>\n In its first performance in the Space Theatre, UnSeen<\/em> makes the invisible more knowable and, as the performers speak, with pride and dignity as well in sorrow and in anger, the audience begins to realise that very often WE are the problem. It is our mindset that needs fixing.<\/p>\n Their words are compelling. Often funny, but also challenging in their candour and memorable in their insight. Kelly Vincent sets the theme in the opening words \u2013 \u201cThey don\u2019t see your hard work . They don\u2019t see how hard it is to put a smile on your face. Sometimes you feel UnSeen. \u201c<\/p>\n Wren Dow, a contemporary and hip hop dancer, who self-describes as neurodivergent tells us \u2013 \u201cI have lived with a body more scar tissue than skin\u2026 Yoga and essential oils won\u2019t cure my genetic disorder, won\u2019t dissolve the knife that\u2019s been tearing my spine.\u201d Later Wren says, in a phrase that describes the inner self in many of us : \u201cI look fine\/ but fine is an awful word, it never tells the truth .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you like yourself ? asks Justine van Eyssen, holding up a mirror. \u201cAre you the person who would like to be ? \u201c \u201cI am not my wheelchair\u201d says Ad\u2019m with a smile but a warning look. \u201cI am not my glasses\/ I am not my leg bag\/ I am not my nail colour \u201c He continues \u2013\u201c I am not taking suggestions\/ I am not invisible\/ I am Ad\u2019m.\u201d Later in a skit, hosted by Dion Allen as the quizmaster, Ad\u2019m appears on Wheel of MisFortune<\/em> \u2013 where, in a telling satire, all his answers are ignored and the \u201cSupport Worker\u201d does all the talking.<\/p>\n Kym McKenzie, familiar from No Strings Attached\u2019s acclaimed Sons and<\/em> Mothers (<\/em>also directed by Zavarce)<\/em> tells us that sometimes the world moves too fast. \u201cI wish you would slow down and let me speak\u2026let me think. Please let me catch up\u2026I need thinking space. We need feeling space.\u201d Jye Parry performs in a splendid mask and cape .\u201d I am more than my limitations\u201d, he says, \u201climitations that you perceive.\u201d He likes to go to Cosplay events like Supernova and ComicCon \u2013 \u201cbecause everyone wears masks, not just me. \u201c<\/p>\n Rachel High, a regular with Restless Dance and Tutti Ensemble, interviews Kelly Vincent for RealTalk<\/em>, Lucy Lopez Rivera sings ( accompanied by the excellent composer and musician, Tahlia Weaver) and, in a send-up of an Oscar acceptance speech, Jamila Main delivers a lively serve at the notion that any actor can perform as a disabled character.<\/p>\n Director Alirio Zavarce (in tandem with producer Juliette Zavarce) has again brought his unique warmth and flair to this project. Rachel Thompson\u2019s simple set and distinctive costumes (sympathetically lit by Kobe Donaldson) and the music by Tahlia Weaver and Tyson Olson all serve the production without overwhelming it. Zavarce creates a space for the performers to be themselves- funny, bold, thoughtful and most of all, direct in their connection with the audience. He introduces the event in a way that is both welcoming and informal and then remains just outside the acting area, providing support but never intruding. It adds a valuable dimension of gentle expectation to the experience that steadies performers and audience alike. His rapport with Kelly Vincent is key to the success of this production, as are his video interviews which are interspersed throughout.<\/p>\n UnSeen<\/em> is an ambitious work which pulls no punches. Vincent says at one point \u2013\u201cI am not your inspiration porn. \u201c But it is also genuinely triumphant in feeling and in spirit. In making themselves so generously visible these nine diverse, creative people have not only opened our eyes they are also making us take a very hard look at ourselves.<\/p>\n Murray Bramwell<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" UnSeen by Kelly Vincent & Alirio Zavarce and the True Ability Ensemble. Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre December 1. Seeing and Believing \u201cThere are a lot of things that are really hard about being disabled,\u201d writer and advocate Kelly Vincent said in a recent interview in CityMag. \u201cBut most of them are not because [of the disability]. It\u2019s because of the barriers that society puts up for disabled people – from barriers to socialising and attending events and parties, to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,17,5,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-41","category-adelaide-companies","category-archive","category-theatre"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/murraybramwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/murraybramwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/murraybramwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/murraybramwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/murraybramwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3365"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/murraybramwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3366,"href":"https:\/\/murraybramwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3365\/revisions\/3366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/murraybramwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/murraybramwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/murraybramwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}