New World Order

Ryan J-W Smith in New World Order

I sat in the dark theatre, hearing an American soldier share his story of violence, terror and injustice. How he had given the order to blow up a building then witnessed the devastation it caused an innocent family.

The reality of war hung oppressively in the air when the lights came up on a stage bare save for a man sitting on a chair, wine bottle in hand and tears in his eyes.

Few performances I’ve seen have been as gripping, touching and perceptive as New World Order. The one-man play from award-winning international playwright, actor, director and producer Ryan J-W Smith, deals with empire-building from the perspectives of three characters – The King, The Joker and The Veteran.

Political subterfuge and terror are a plague in today’s global society, and influence socio-political relationships both locally and globally. It’s daring to try and encapsulate the situation in a one-hour performance, but Smith pulls it off beautifully. The play combines details of contemporary conflicts with more general attitudes and theories to deconstruct an issue that has been relevant to civilisation throughout history.

Smith’s use of iambic, rhyming verse has previously earned him the title “The Bard Mark Two” (BBC), but while Shakespeare’s influence was clear, the theatrical conventions and the story went beyond that realm and into a brave new world. His masterful manipulation of language adds a timeless quality to the play that marks this work as a sophisticated, intelligent and emotive performance different to anything else being created today.

It’s rare to find a one-man show that’s engaging, entertaining and insightful, but by playing all three characters Smith highlights the common element between them – they’re only human. The simple staging contrasts with the complex characters and creates the perfect balance for us to think about what is being said. Having one person show us three different perspectives is a refreshing reminder of our basic human nature and the expectations that comes from our place in the status quo.

Transitions between the three characters are so smooth it’s easy to forget there is only one person on stage. Adept use of physicality and vocal nuances mark each character and compliment the depth of the text. Suspending disbelief is an almost unconscious act from start to finish.

Smith’s conviction is overwhelming and enlightening, generating critical thought on the state of things today. The use of diverse sources transform current war and terrorism discourses into something rich and strange. New World Order is an outstanding piece of theatre that opens the mind and calls for more discussion on an issue that is ages old but still starkly relevant today. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the state of our world and our humanity.

Ryan J-W Smith’s New World Order was performed at the Judith Wright Centre as part of the 2008 Brisbane Writers Festival.

Acting Out – legitimising young peoples use of public space

We’d had a tough time with this applied theatre project. In our first three weeks we went to the actual space once and even then we’d had to relocate due to rain. It’s a downfall of trying to use public space for a project, because you’re at the mercy of the weather, and in Brisbane that means taking it one day at a time due to the unpredictable nature of our weather.

Last Friday it was a sunny day, we’d had a good workshop the week before (despite low numbers of participants) and I had met up with the two other theatre facilitators and planned out the whole workshop comprehensively. We’d even taken into account what people may or may not want to do. Our hopes were up and we were happy to be working.

An accident on our way to the park changed that momentarily. We had to stop, check that everyone was OK and make sure insurance information was exchanged. Back in the car one of the youth workers made a passing comment about how perhaps the drama stuff would not be engaging the first few times. I was even more motivated to make it work.

There were cyclists at the park. In our space, which we’d booked and got confirmation about more than a week before. People started to half-joke that the project was cursed. Now, I must admit I do hold a few superstitions when it comes to theatre, like not saying “good luck” or using the eponymous M-word from a Shakespeare play while in a theatre. However, I was not having any of these “cursed” jokes and argued we were being challenged and had to step up to the task.

There were about fourteen young people who came along. Most, it seems, live in shelters and sometimes sleep outside. The majority of them were male, which actually balanced out quite well because most of the youth workers and facilitators are women.

Another set-back, the wonderful police officers doing drumming as part of the project couldn’t make it. But we had our drama plan and once the cyclists had moved on we jumped straight in with high energy games. Almost every thing we did got a good response from them, and the dull, proper park was suddenly transformed into an atmosphere of fun and activity. People walking past sometimes stopped to see what was going on and the interest seemed to be mostly positive.

Young people, particularly those at risk of homelessness, have few options in a city like Brisbane. The constant city shift towards commodities means that public space itself is becoming a bit like a commodity in the central business districts. Business people who see young people hanging around often seem to feel uncomfortable, or look down on the situation even if nothing is going on. To be able to counter these negative assumptions is a great challenge. To be able to engage these young people is an even better reward.

Cities need to wake up to their communities. Marginalising people is not, and never will be, a solution. Engaging them and working towards solving the problems they face is a step in the right direction. I believe it’s a step we need to take.