Centrepoint play close to home

Not In Our Neighbourhood. - PHOTO: Tim Elkington

This play had me on the edge of my seat, almost in tears, as Kali Kopae dramatically portrayed the stories of numerous domestic violence victims and their journeys to freedom.

Not In Our Neighbourhood, written and directed by Jamie McCaskill, took a close look behind the mask of domestic violence, giving voice to stories rarely heard.

We meet Maisey Mata, a filmmaker, who has been invited by the Women's Refuge to follow some of their clients to raise awareness about domestic violence.

There she encounters Sasha, Cat and Teresa - three individuals with very different backgrounds living together in The Safehouse, each seeking solace and trying to rebuild their lives.

The play looks at all facets of violence, its effects on the most vulnerable and their treatment by state agencies, confronting the disconnect between the disempowered and the educated employees of the system and its prejudice.

One woman struggles to understand why she was not listened to and is told by another character:

"Sometimes you've just got to speak their language. When you're on their turf, you play by their rules."

Maisey learns that domestic violence has no class or socio-economic barriers.

"Their backgrounds couldn't be any different and neither could their circumstances."

Kopae's professional and polished performance was impressive, her ability to interchange between characters at an instant, translating the emotion of each character for a whole hour on stage alone was spell-binding.

These raw and authentic stories were confronting and had me driving home in silence, eyes open to the violence within all communities.

Not In Our Neighbourhood will run at Centrepoint Theatre every Wednesday to Sunday until June 24. Info at www.centrepoint.co.nz