Our time is one of increasing scepticism about politics and the media, and one of the attractions of Verbatim Theatre is that it can offer us a relatively uncontaminated view of issues.
Verbatim Theatre is typically created in response to a single event or an injustice, social crisis or a natural disaster. It is theatre made from real people's words.
This type of theatre allows a range of voices and perspectives to be heard. In the case of hush, a Verbatim play about family violence, we hear the stories of 16 different New Zealanders who have been impacted by family violence and were interviewed by the original play creators in 2009.
Those interviews formed the raw material for what would become the crafted piece that you will see at The Meteor in late November.
Missy Mooney, a cast member of both hush and Life Music, completed her Masters thesis in 2019 on the ethics of Verbatim Theatre. Photo / Supplied
Director Gaye Poole has been keenly invested in Verbatim Theatre for many years, as a university lecturer and director. In 2006 she directed The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre Company with her Play Production Theatre Studies class.
In 2011 Paul Brown's Aftershocks was given a staged reading by Carving in Ice as a benefit for the Christchurch earthquakes.
Then in 2016 Gaye, along with several of the cast of hush and other actors, created Life Music, an original Verbatim Theatre piece for the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival.
Carving in Ice Theatre is privileged to have been given permission to stage hush in Hamilton by the original creators (Hilary Halba, Stuart Young et al). Hush will be running at The Meteor November 25 to 28 with 7.30pm performances and a 3pm matinee on November 28.
"The hush company has been rehearsing since 6 July; it's a piece that requires patience, close listening and care" says Poole.
"The original participants shared their stories because they wanted to help "remove a veil of silence from the topic" and that is also the reason we chose 25 November as our opening night to coincide with the Zonta Says No to Family Violence campaign and White Ribbon Day".
In hush there is no depiction of violence or abuse, audiences can expect to be told the stories verbatim, word for word, by eight actors.
After every performance of hush, audience members will have the option to stay for a forum with the cast and director which will be moderated by a qualified community psychologist, clinical psychologist or consultant.
Sara Young in Life Music. Photo / Supplied
The cast of hush includes local performers Julianne Boyle, Conor Maxwell, Missy Mooney, Kelly Petersen, Georgia Pollock, Nicolas Wells, Jared Wooldridge, Sara Young, voice-over: Mary Rinaldi.
Missy Mooney, a cast member of both hush and the aforementioned Life Music, completed her masters thesis in 2019 on the ethics of Verbatim Theatre.
Sara Young was involved in Aftershocks and Kelly Petersen and Sara were also in Life Music, so this company is very well 'equipped' to offer this production to Hamilton.
Tickets are available at $22 Full, $18 Concession and $12 Student, further show information and tickets can be found at www.themeteor.co.nz/events/hush
