Maya Drive

Maya Drive is a magical realist story on grief and loss, written by Milton and directed by J Shaw. Grief is a personal experience that can steer people into other dimensions. Ben the main character (Cassiel Garward) reaches out to the tales of Gilgamesh (an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia) to find solace and understanding while caught in a dream; he travels in his own time under the faithful guidance of his Maya (means good mother in Greek) who appears as a guardian angel (Lily Thomson).

Ben is obsessed with Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s right-hand half-man-half-beast, who offers guidance and experience to the naïve King. Ben seeks out his brother’s girlfriend Shelley (Emma Jo Mckay), his first love; he wants her to help him. But she has no time for him and is frustrated in her relationship with Cameron (Tom Pickering) because she can’t get pregnant. Ben is a worrisome concern for her, but she still agrees to appease him with the story of Gilgamesh yet again, because she too is also fixated with Enkidu. 

This is a hauntingly surreal family drama that tackles the everyday domestics head on. Ben’s father (Mathew Richard Walsh) is close to Cameron, bonding like best mates over the footy. Ben might be seen as a lost cause, weaving in and out of familial scenarios like a ghost - his Maya lingers closely behind. His relationship with his current older jealous girlfriend Cori (Stella Economou) is tempestuous. Ben sees what he wants to see because it helps him function from day to day.

Garward offers a sensitive portrayal of a shell-shocked, grieving individual seeking compassion and answers. Time is distorted, surreal and the magic is understated and dreamlike; Ben’s soul stirring slow dance with Shelley and Maya is hauntingly atmospheric, offering a much-needed interlude.

Lighting (Chuck Martin) is well crafted, adding mood and confrontation. And Milton has written a challenging idiosyncratic piece of theatre; he tackles serious life issues while J Shaw, meticulous with his cast, has directed a sensitive juxtaposition of alternative worlds versus the mediocrity of real life.

Flora Georgiou

Photographer: Darren Gill