Canberra Reviews

Rebus Theatre’s Stages of Empathy arrives at the Ralph Wilson Theatre as a participatory, disability-led encounter with the complexities of access, care and organisational responsibility driven through Augusto Boal’s Forum theatre style. Having toured the country and now in its 60th presentation, the work stands as one of Rebus’ most impactful creations – a rare theatre piece that teaches, listens, and evolves with every audience. Rebus’ national recognition is long overdue for a company that has spent decades placing disability and inclusion at the centre of its artistic engine. With recent federal funding strengthening its reach, Rebus is finally being seen for the visionary organisation it is.

The entire production – its script, scenarios, characters and design – has been created by Rebus participants with lived experience of disability, including facilitator Sammy Moynihan. This authorship is essential: the work carries the authenticity, nuance and humour that comes only from lived realities, not theoretical exercises.

Three actors hold the stage, rotating through roles such as a CEO, a senior support worker under board pressure, a new staff member suddenly tasked with producing an upcoming event, and an artist whose access needs challenge the structures around him. The scenes are sharp, truthful and painfully recognisable to anyone who has worked inside an arts organisation.

Sammy does not perform within these scenes; instead, he sits visibly at the side of the stage, attentive and grounded. Between each vignette, he steps forward to facilitate with remarkable clarity – guiding the audience through reflections, offering context, setting boundaries and inviting participation. His presence is steady but unobtrusive, allowing the actors’ work to breathe while shaping the arc of the evening with deft intelligence.

The staging is intentionally sparse: a black box floor, large white cubes, and lights that shift from calm to overwhelming as scenarios escalate. A simple sound – such as the relentless clicking of a pen – becomes a visceral demonstration of noise sensitivity. Later, the event sequence floods with brightness as an artist enters a room where none of his access needs have been considered. These choices transform the abstract into the bodily; the audience doesn’t just witness the tension, they feel it.

After each scene, Sammy invites the audience to intervene. Anyone can call “stop,” step into the action, and attempt a different approach. He frames the invitation with gentle humour – “You can end the scene when you get sick of it. Or we’ll stop it when we get sick of you” – which dissolves fear and opens the possibility for collective problem-solving. What emerges is a room thinking together, stumbling together, and discovering together.

The challenges portrayed – competing access needs, poorly defined support-worker boundaries, organisational burnout, and unrealistic timelines – are not abstract. They mirror the very issues at play across the arts industry. The raked seating at Ralph Wilson Theatre creates a significant obstacle to the intimacy the work thrives on, and this audience is somewhat reluctant to step into discomfort and curiosity. But some do and it’s fun to watch.

Stages of Empathy is not just a show; it is a model for what disability-led theatre can achieve when lived experience shapes every layer of process and presentation. Rebus has created something extraordinary – an artwork that acts as both mirror and manual.