Length is a key issue in this production of Trust. For a production that explores the high-speed society we live in and increasing demands on people, it felt like a long long show. It was, as one of the characters said “so ... so exhausting.”A physical theatre piece, Trust is a joint project by German Director/Author Falk Richter (resident director at Germany’s Schaubühne Berlin) and Choreographer/Dancer Anouk van Dijk, director of her own Amsterdam based company anoukvandijk dc. Richter and van Dijk are new leaders in the arts industry in Europe, and so it was with some surprise that I found myself struggling to remain interested throughout the production.
The piece opens with loud incessant music underscoring the performers dancing around the stage. I use the term “dance” in the loosest possible way – it was highly stylized, contemporary, and there was a lot of falling down and getting back up again (very elegantly).
In the program Van Dijk describes her “counter-technique” style, where she asks performers to execute an opposite movement for every movement they make on stage. “It gives them a lot of freedom in dancing and increases their range of movements ... (They) become very fast in changing directions and they can take a lot of risks...” There were multiple instances where the performers were being thrown around, and I’m impressed if they haven’t injured themselves a few times through the process.
The performers, four women and five men, were all gifted in their chosen fields. Some were originally trained as actors, and they took the speaking roles. These consisted of a series of monologues, either spoken to another silent performer, or to the audience as an accompaniment for more frenetic movement. They were fascinating speeches about broken relationships, love, anger, the pressures of society, and of course, trust.
I confess I would have preferred to hear it all in English. I have nothing against other languages, but unfortunately the location of the surtitles (high up at the back of the stage) meant that the audience couldn’t read the text and watch the action at the same time. It became increasingly frustrating, and towards the end I chose to watch the action rather than look at the words, as I found they also became repetitious.
Composer/Musician Malte Beckenbach was on stage throughout the show, tucked away under multi level platforms at the back of the stage. His electro/pop/trance music was effective, but overbearing at times (which may have been the point). Katrin Hoffman’s stage design consisted of multilevel platforms at the back of the stage, which otherwise was open all the way to the fly tower either side. A multitude of chairs filled the sides of the stage, and were used to great effect by the performers as they moved them around, jumped on and off, fell over them etc.
Overall, Trust was a disappointing production. It was an angry, forceful show that may have been passable had it been half the length and with a bit less repetition. There is no denying the performers and creators are talented, however, in this case, it just wasn’t remarkable enough to retain my interest.
2011 Perth International Arts Festival
Trust
Schaubühne Berlin
A project by Falk Richter and Anouk van Dijk
Direction and Choreography by Falk Richter and Anouk van Dijk
Venue: His Majesty's Theatre, Perth
Dates: Thur 24 Feb-Wed 2 March 2011
Duration: 1hr 45min no interval
Tickets: $67.50 - $46.50
Bookings: bocsticketing.com.au