Photo – AkipariAttempted suicide by asphyxiation, arson and sex abuse are part of the gamut run by performer and playwright Cliff Cardinal in the harrowing and darkly humourous Huff.
Huff opens with a young man trying to end his life. It is, he thinks, his only escape from a vicious cycle of abuse, neglect, violence and petrol sniffing. He's had these thoughts before and made similar attempts on his life. He pleads for help, calling on life preserving audience participation. (Warning: front rowers open to participation, perspiration and tomato splatter).
On the brink of death, his life and the lives of many others flash before us giving us the back story of what has brought the fella to the precipice of self annihilation.
He is the product of a First Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada, and a physically abusive and philandering father, alcoholic and successful suicide mother.
Taking a hard look at what many in Canada have turned a blind eye to, Cardinal rails against the Reservation as a place where indigenous cultural enthusiasm is cruelly curbed and suffers from arrested development, with dire social and spiritual consequences.
Through his myriad of memorable characters – siblings, grandmother, step mother, teacher, and power abusive authorities – Cardinal creates a searing canvas of inflicted second class citizenry and afflicted cultural stagnation. Each death is a death in theoretical custody as the Reserve is an incarceration of sorts, a culture put in their place, cut off and marginalised.
Director Karin Randoja keeps the pace with Cardinal's energetic split personalities coming in with split second timing with lighting designer Michelle Ramsay lending illuminating atmos to internal and external landscapes.
Produced by Native Earth Performing Arts, Canada’s oldest professional Indigenous theatre company, Huff is a vivid, vigourous, vehement account of harsh realities, difficult truths and a veritable, seemingly inevitable, recurring vicious cyle.
Native Earth Performing Arts presents
Huff
written and performed by Cliff Cardinal
Director Karin Randoja
Venue: Seymour Centre| Cnr Cleveland Street and City Road, Chippendale NSW
Dates: 24 – 28 January 2017
Tickets: $36
Bookings: www.sydneyfestival.org.au | 1300 856 876
Part of the 2017 Sydney Festival
