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Although I am aware how the story ends, I can’t deny my hairs stood on end as I heard those words “Odyssey, this is Houston, do you read us? Over” repeated during that tense 2 minutes when Mission Control clung to hope that they had done enough to bring the astronauts home alive.

More like a dramatic game show than a play, Apollo 13: Mission Control is an interactive theatre experience. As we stood in the foyer prior to the show, the performance came to us. Similar to a press conference, the actors playing Walter Cronkite (Johnny Brugh) and Jim Lovell (Jack Shadbolt) joined us to generate the energy which would be sustained for the next 90 minutes.

They selected an audience member to replace Ken Mattingly (who history tells was grounded after being exposed to the measles) and join the astronauts on the mission to the moon. We formed a guard of honour to escort the astronauts to the spacecraft and then split off into our different audience sections. There are “Mission Control” seats and there are “Press Gallery” seats. If you sit in “Mission Control” then you need to be prepared to get involved when you are called on.

There were a large number of young children in the audience and given that this mission occurred 6 years before I was even born, it goes to show how universally engaging the story of space travel is. I’ve seen the movie, but the children who were eager to play their part in the mission, did so perhaps without knowing how it would all turn out. The audience members in “Mission Control” had a variety of tasks which ranged from calculating figures, communicating with the other teams, searching for information, being interviewed on television and building models. They were assisted by the various experts and the action blended seamlessly between scripted drama and improvisation.

We all had headphones and so could hear the astronaut communications in the background while the 2 large screens at the front flashed up statistical information, maps and live footage. It was fast paced and engaging. There were moments of both calm and chaos in this cleverly structured piece of theatre.

Hailing from New Zealand, the writers and production team have created a great user friendly website that has loads of information about the show and an education guide for teachers to use. The cast and crew deliver a first rate show with a difference, and I was happy to learn that they will soon be touring it to the States.

On a side note about the venue, this was my first show at the new State Theatre Centre which was suitably modern and multi functional. There are multiple theatres and bars and it is perfect for an event like the PIAF. I hope that the time in between these large events continues to see the spaces utilised so well.


2011 Perth International Arts Festival
Apollo 13: Mission Control
Hackman

Venue: Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre
Dates: Sat 19 Feb - Mon 7 March 2011

Duration: 1hr 40 min no interval
Captioned Performance: Wed 2 March, 7pm
Audio Descriptor Performance: Fri 4 March, 7pm
Tickets: Mission Control (Interactive) $47.50 SOLD OUT | Friends $41.50 SOLD OUT | Press Gallery (Non-interactive) $37.50 | Conc $32.50 | Child (under 14) $21.50
Bookings: bocsticketing.com.au