REVIEW: Guest Reviewer Kym Vaitiekus Shares His Thoughts on ARE WE NOT DRAWN ONWARD TO NEW ERA

Tuesday 16th January, 2024 7:30pm, Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company

ARE WE NOT DRAWN ONWARD TO NEW ERA is the ultimate arts festival show. Unique, clever , inventive, challenging and awe inspiring.

This master work is palindromic both in title and execution (with a delightful accentuation).

Belgian theatre company, Ontroerend Goed , creators of  WORLD WITHOUT US bring their latest work to the Sydney Festival.

ARE WE NOT DRAWN ONWARD TO NEW ERA explores the state of our world and the attitudes that the inhabitants have, using and abusing our resources, enjoying life at the expense of others. It also presents a way forward for those attitudes to change and progress.

Seeing an abundance of plastic shopping bags litter your world is heartbreaking, to witness a tree destroyed is devastating, even though the world does this act daily for industrial purposes and we ourselves do it as gardeners. Sharing an apple seems mundane yet poignant.

To give you more detail on the specific content would be a list of spoilers. We watch nothing and everything at the same time. Never have I been, (almost) bought to tedium and thoroughly enthralled and emotionally moved at the same time.

The production consists of an exceptional cast and impressive choreography that marries performance and state of the art technology.

Director Alexander Devriendt has a detailed and inventive eye, that brings magic to the ensemble cast: Bastiaan Vandendriessche, Charlotte De Bruyne, Jonas Vermeulen, Karolien De Bleser, Kristien De Proost, Vincent Dunoyer.

The nuances of the each performer are layered in their exquisite simplicity and wonderfully suit he duality of their roles. What appears at first as a somewhat naïve production becomes a nexus of theatre artistry and a thought provoking experience.

 Jeroen Wuyts and Seppe Brouckaert’s light, video and sound are key to the success of ARE WE NOT DRAWN ONWARD TO NEW ERA, their expertise is flawless and jaw dropping . Along with the composition of William Basinski, the power of this palindrome is captivating. Basinski’s solemn and harmonic music is transformative.

One audience member, seated behind me, at one point vocalised their disparaging opinion, I didn’t agree on their comment but could understand the origins of their point of view. They left the auditorium just before the machinations of this performance became clear to then take you on an extraordinary journey. I guess their choice to leave is proof of the consequence of assumptions.

I therefore cannot assume the position of other audience members’ personal situations, but for a few phones to start ringing during the performance begs an explanation. But another prewarning is that this performance does have a strict total lock out from the 7pm start.

If you venture to see new, creative theatre that challenges, surprises and moves you, get along to experience ARE WE NOT DRAWN ONWARD TO NEW ERA. Another Sydney Festival triumph.

Ontroerend Goed acknowledges that Are we not drawn onward to new erA is a coproduction with Spectra, Kunstencentrum Vooruit Gent, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Adelaide Festival & Richard Jordan Productions

Photo credits: Mirjam Devriendt

Roslyn Packer Theatre (The Thirsty Mile) 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay Arts Precinct

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