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| Actors from Australian Theatre for Young People's production of " Saplings" |
Written by Hannah Belasky
Directed by Abbie-Lee Lewis - Associate Director: Ryan
Whitworth-Jones
Set and Costume co-designers: Angela Doherty & Morgan Moroney
Composer & Sound designer: Michael Weir – Fight Director:
Tim Dashwood
Stage Managed by Anastasia Mowen – Presented by Australian Theatre for Young People
Performed by: Talijah Blackman-Corowa -Maliyan Blair – Sam
Harmon – Danny Howard
The Q, The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre. August 22nd,
2026.
Evening performance reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.
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| Actors from Australian Theatre for Young People's production of "Saplings" |
Written by Hannah Belasky drawing on material gathered from
a series of workshops with young people experiencing difficulties through the
youth justice system, Saplings sheds light on this problem with an impressively
mounted production by Australian Theatre for Young People.
Loud rap-music greeted the audience as it entered the
theatre, supporting the gritty setting by Angela Doherty and Morgan Moroney, which
consisted of four levels of horizonal cement-appearance steps against at
concrete wall suggesting an uninviting inner-city meeting place in which a few
plants struggle vainly to make the environment appear more-user friendly.
The pre-publicity for this production suggested that four
young actors would take on multiple roles in this production, but regretfully
there was no supporting material available at the theatre providing the names
of the actors or the roles they would play.
It was only when this writer returned home after the
performance and consulted the Australian Theatre for Young People website that it
was established that the actors were Talijah Blackman, Corowa-Maliyan Blair,
Sam Harmon and Danny Howard.
The problem was exacerbated when the play began, because director,
Abbie-Lee Lewis, had her actors performing in a very naturalistic style, more
suitable to film or television than for stage where it is necessary to project the
dialogue rather than rely on cameras or microphones to pick it up.
Much of the dialogue was unintelligible because it was delivered
very quickly, spoken very softly or sometimes by actors with their backs to the
audience. The result was that much of
the play was so unintelligible as to render it almost impossible to engage with,
or follow what was going on.
This was a real shame, because it was obvious that the
actors were talented and acting with commitment. Their handling of props, which
included re-arranging set pieces to denote changes in time and place was
excellent, as was the production design.
Director Lewis had included poetic touches which should have
been moving, but that possibility evaporated when their purpose lost when not communicated.
All of which added to the disappointment because Saplings
was obviously meant to deliver an important message which was lost at this
performance.
Photos by Clare Hawley
