Perth Voice Interactive

BLACK Swan State Theatre Company seems to always come up with surprises and their new production, The Pool is no exception. The publicity promises “theatre that makes a splash” and they deliver.

For a start it is staged not in a normal theatre but at Bold Park Aquatic Centre in City Beach. For another, the audience is issued with individual headsets so they can follow the dialogue as actors use the full space of an Olympic-sized pool as their stage.

That Australian swimming pools are egalitarian is the guiding philosophy and the script was formed by Steve Rodgers by interviewing people at suburban pools. So, if you have ever idly wondered about the people you see at your local pool, what they are talking about, what problems they have, their fears and dreams this is for you.

The soothing quality of water and hypnotic rhythm of swimmers gliding back and forth doing laps is calming and so familiar. Slowly, the audience is entranced by characters’ interactions at different spots around the venue. The experience is partly cinematic, like a camera’s point of view as your head swivels to catch the action, partly theatrical and partly dreamlike.

The sound direction, by Tim Collins is more than up to the challenge, allowing the audience to eavesdrop on intimate conversations and even hear the inner ruminations of characters. The technical achievement is as spectacular as it is unobtrusive. You simply forget that these actors are miked up as they talk and swim.

The story is episodic rather than linear. Snatches of conversation convey slices of information that slowly meld into an individual’s narrative. Some are amusing, others touching and some are profoundly affecting.

A highlight is an adult’s breakthrough in learning to trust a swimming teacher after decades of bruising emotional trauma. The sequence, beautifully choreographed by Kate Champion and superbly performed by Joel Jackson and Emma Jackson is quiet, enthralling and deeply moving.

There is a group of silent swimmers who form a chorus, accompanying characters, sometimes acting out their reminiscences and at other times artistically representing the story.

If you have the courage, you can join in the show. Audience members who register in advance can jump in the water for the final sequence as an aqua aerobics class.

All-in-all, The Pool is well worth the trip to City Beach.

by BARRY HEALY

The Pool By Steve Radgers
Directed by Kate Champion
Black Swan Theatre Company and Perth Festival
Playing at Bold Park aquatic centre until
February 25.