By Charlene Gatt
THE Boxing Day tsunami is synonymous with images of fear, loss and devastation.
But shots of a couple lying on beach towels and drinking cocktails with the aftermath of the tsunami in the background don’t automatically spring to mind.
The photos of the two holidayers desperate to get their money’s worth sparked Footscray playwright Raimondo Cortese’s interest.
“That got us thinking – why do people want holidays? What are they moving away from? Why do they do it and why, when people have holidays, do they spend their entire time being as busy as possible when surely they just need to relax?”
This thinking saw Mr Raimondo and his theatre group, Ranters Theatre, develop Holiday, which opens at the Malthouse Theatre tomorrow.
Just like the unusual holiday photo, the play is not a traditional performance.
The two male protagonists do not have alter egos, a set backdrop or an established relationship. In fact, they are fully aware of the audience.
“They’re not improvising the text, but they are improvising the relationship … there’s no pretence at being anything other than what they are,” Mr Cortese said.
“They talk about religion, they talk about boredom, they talk about having fun, they talk about work, they talk about all kinds of things but it’s not set in any particular place and you actually don’t know the identity of either character. You don’t know what their relationship is or whether they’re friends, strangers, or have just met.”
Mr Cortese said this approach to acting was part of the Ranters Theatre trademark.
The group, made up of a core membership of Victorian College of the Arts graduates, has been working together for 14 years.
Mr Cortese’s brother Adriano and wife Beth are also part of the company.
“We wanted to work in a very particular way, which was not about conventions of acting and conventions of performance.”
The play will run for two weeks until 2 August.
