Intriguing theatre
Lynn Freeman
Sheep, Long Cloud Youth Theatre Company, Bats Theatre, to June 11. Reviewed by Lynn Freeman.
SHEEP have fed, clothed, carpeted and fuelled our economy for almost 200 years now. They outnumber us, though not by as much as they used to. Arthur Meek traces the transformation of wool straight from the sheep’s back to the catwalk and beyond. It’s much more than a history of wool though, with Meek using different generations of young people, some of them on the same family tree.
Meek weaves into his story a lot of humour but also a lot of social history and genuine drama - particular the scene in war devastated Dresden in the 1940s where young Kiwi prisoners of war respond to their freedom in very different ways.
The Long Cloud Youth Theatre run by Whitireia Performing Arts Company and under the energetic direction of Willem Wassenaar, is producing some of the most intriguing theatre around Wellington. The opening night cast (there are two casts so all the 24 students get their time in the spotlight) were excellent – polished, word perfect, committed, and while there were some issues with hearing lines over music it didn’t detract from a great 90 minutes of theatre.
Daniel Williams created a dream set for the actors, in corrugated iron and a wooden floor, easily transforming from brothel to woolshed to warzone.
SHEEP have fed, clothed, carpeted and fuelled our economy for almost 200 years now. They outnumber us, though not by as much as they used to. Arthur Meek traces the transformation of wool straight from the sheep’s back to the catwalk and beyond. It’s much more than a history of wool though, with Meek using different generations of young people, some of them on the same family tree.
Meek weaves into his story a lot of humour but also a lot of social history and genuine drama - particular the scene in war devastated Dresden in the 1940s where young Kiwi prisoners of war respond to their freedom in very different ways.
The Long Cloud Youth Theatre run by Whitireia Performing Arts Company and under the energetic direction of Willem Wassenaar, is producing some of the most intriguing theatre around Wellington. The opening night cast (there are two casts so all the 24 students get their time in the spotlight) were excellent – polished, word perfect, committed, and while there were some issues with hearing lines over music it didn’t detract from a great 90 minutes of theatre.
Daniel Williams created a dream set for the actors, in corrugated iron and a wooden floor, easily transforming from brothel to woolshed to warzone.
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