In Conversation with Matthew Connell | St Kilda Tales: A Performance Rave
- TW
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
In this week's Backstage Blog, we chat with director Matthew Connell of their upcoming show, St Kilda Tales: A Performance Rave! Keep reading to go on a deep dive into this dynamic show, opening at Explosives Factory at the start of next month!
Q. What should audiences expect when they come to see St Kilda Tales: A Performance Rave?
A. St Kilda Tales: A Performance Rave is a collaboration between Victorian Theatre Company and Brisbane Music Festival that is part play, part concert. A cast of 10 actors play alongside musicians in an unfolding scene of continual action. It's not clear whether the musicians are controlling the action onstage, or if the actors are responding to the music.
Raimondo Cortese's script is based on group improvisation, so there is no conventional plot, but rather a series of encounters that sometimes lead to consequence, and sometimes nothing. Just as in real life, there are no real beginnings or endings.
London based composer Jack Bochow and Brisbane Music Festival Artistic Director Alex Raineri will play a newly commissioned score live on stage with the cast. This is an experimental piece that delves into character study, choreography and music.
Q. Did you have specific artist inspirations when creating this work (i.e. musicians, choreographers)?
A. We have been working with Brisbane Music Festival on this for at least two years. They engaged the composer at a very early stage, so that artistic relationship has had time to develop and mature. I send Jack provocations and he always responds with something unexpected and exciting. This in turn leads me to think about the text in new ways. We have spent a lot of time examining and experimenting with rave culture, which is a big theme in the text. The original play is just called St Kilda Tales, but for this iteration we've added A Performance Rave to set a particular framework we want the audience to have coming in.
Q. This show has a long history; can you give us a highlight reel of the last 24 years of this show?
A. St Kilda Tales was first presented by Ranters Theatre at The Malthouse in 2001 as part of the Centenary of Federation Festival. It was inspired by the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda, where many original company members lived. It was a highly provocative season that made a big impact on contemporary Australian theatre. It then enjoyed a European tour - bringing a theatrical imagination of St Kilda to the world.
In this new version, our collaboration with Brisbane Music Festival has its own particular examinations that may not resemble the original production at all. But the echoes of its impact are always with us in the room. Raimondo has been extremely encouraging of our take on the play and has even re-written parts of the script to update it for a 2025 production.
Q. What do you hope audiences take away after seeing St Kilda Tales?
A. I hope those who come to the show enjoy seeing different possibilities of what a play can be and do. The experience of the show is like panoramic vision. It happens all around you, all at once.
Theatre in Melbourne is very conservative at the moment, we've come to expect tight little British plays about a particular social or political issue. I hope audiences can find in St Kilda Tales a kind of antidote to that.
Q. What has been the most memorable moment throughout this rehearsal/creation process?
A. Watching the actors in action. Whatever ideas I come up with at home, no matter how interesting or exciting, only serve as an instigation for the actors in the room. What they then do on the floor is where all the magic happens. This can't be planned for and is thrilling to submit to.
Every time our composer Jack Bochow sends through a new piece of music to test with the cast, it's like Christmas Day.
Don't miss out on this incredible show! Only performing for 8 shows at Explosives Factory, opening on Friday 2 May - get your tickets now before you miss out!
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