I am a fan of story telling in all it’s formats. Books, film, theatre, even music and art. The ability to lose one’s self in someone else's story has always delighted me. I remember when I was 10, reading Tomorrow When The War Began for the first time and after many hours fascinated by the unfolding saga I took a break to make myself a sandwich. As I rummaged through the cupboards trying to find the peanut butter, I began to rush and worry that I would miss the next part of the story. I had created such a visual world in my head, each of the characters sketched with such clarity in my mind that I could recall their faces as easily as my own, that for a brief moment I had forgotten that this story was unravelling in a book, but instead thought I was watching it on TV. My rushing, I realised, was my attempt at getting the sandwich made before the ad break was over and the story began again. Although it was only for a moment, and I subsequently stopped slapping the peanut butter on the bread with such wild abandon, that has always stuck with me. That ability to put your personal reality aside for a moment and steep yourself in someone else reality is a deeply exciting and rewarding experience. Whether we do it purely for entertainment and relaxation, or to discover and explore aspects of humanity that we don’t have personal experience of, everyone loves to indulge. So when the opportunity to see Wounds to the Face, an intriguing performance being put on by students at Murdoch University came up, I jumped at the chance.
I knew nothing about what the performance was about, my cursory research not enlightening me much, so upon arriving at the Nexus Theatre I was a clean slate, no pre conceived ideas dirtying my mind. The posters didn’t illuminate me much, but served only to intrigue me further. AH HA! They have programs! Surely that will tell me everything I need! Alas, apart from showing me the faces of the many students involved in the performance, it still didn’t give me much of an idea what I was in for, but the accordion music that jolted out of the speakers made me smile (I have always had a strange attraction to accordions) and for me that was enough to know I was in for a treat.
Upon entering we were met with an assortment of characters littering the stage, some even roaming the aisles where we sat. All in their own worlds, they mostly ignored eachother, some muttering to themselves, other merely staring. The assortment of characters was compelling, the whispers of the crowd as we settled down could be heard, trying to figure out the connection all these figures had to each other. We laughed as scantily clad ladies winked at us and showed us a little leg. The lady next to me jumped slightly as a small woman at the back screamed loudly whilst grasping a small mirror. In the centre a man stood, unmoving, his face covered completely in bandages. As the crowd settled in and the whispers subsided all but one of the characters left the stage and the story telling began, the lone figure, her back to the audience, face reflected three fold in the mirrors in front of her started our journey.
For the next hour and a half we were treated to an absorbing insight into the relationships that we have with our faces. Something that most of us wouldn’t think about, but when faced with it, it’s fascinating. The story was wound together through many small interactions between the characters, each raising new questions. Would I still be me if I had a different face? Is changing our appearance through surgery the right thing to do? Why do we place so much of who we are into our appearance? I am sure each person in the audience grasped slightly different meanings of the performance, but I think that’s where it’s really successful. Along with the beautifully rhythmical script and impeccable performances the play was open for interpretation, every person was able to leave having felt they explored a different reality from their own.
The play is still running at the Nexus Theatre on the South Street campus of Murdoch University until the 7th November and I highly recommend it to others to check out. If you are interested in going and supporting some of your fellow uni students check out the following link
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