Carpet and Sand

Back in the early seventies, Peter Brook rounded up a motley group of English actors and together they travelled across Africa presenting improvised and spontaneous theatre vignettes to small villages, towns and cities. They explore the naïve and thwarted call for philanthropic British colonialism, but Brook and his entourage are soul searching  for  personal meaning and depth.

Carpet and Sand is based on true story of a man with a grand vision; Peter Brook, the English theatre director, was greatly inspired by the works of Antonin Artaud (Theatre of Cruelty) who worked with movement, dance, mythology, gestures and vocality to build a relationship with audience.  

Local Australian playwright/director Robert Reid together with theatre director Bob Pavlich and an ensemble of actors from Calamity Practise Theatre Company united to create an absurdist theatrical experience. It explores the nuances and eccentric adventures of Brook and his entourage in a scintillating homage that breaks rules and challenges the audience to think outside of the stage box.

There are nine actors/characters including Peter Brook (AYA) who begin with a Persian tale of Aryan telling the story of a group of birds setting out to find enlightenment. Brook is a feisty eccentric character performed with defiant zest and determination. A second narrator oversees the drama and is one of eight actors, each actor introduces themselves tells us their name and their character.

Carpet and Sand is a complex interweaving theatrical experience that has no boundaries it provides   choreographed movement and dance, shape shifting characters they all move independently and interweave together projecting and performing multi- layered stories. It is a sheer delight to be part of the audience, the performers connect and make you feel part of their experience.

An amazing show!

Flora Georgiou

Photographer: Harper Owen