Rosieville

Rosieville opened on a perfectly still bedroom onto which erupted a human-sized pigeon, awakening a young girl, Rose. Rose described to the audience her recurring dream of a pigeon crashlanding, as it has just done, on her bedroom floor.  The pigeon flew off again after asking Rose uncomfortable questions.

From there, the play developed as a drama of close relationships fraught with uncontrollable uncertainties: Will Rose’s dad, who left the family five days ago, return?  Can Rose persuade her mum from risking yet another dreadful haircut from local hairdresser Liz?  Can their unwell next-door neighbour Allan motivate Rose’s brother, Xavier, to complete his flying machine in time to enter the Birdman Rally contest for longest flight over Lake Burley Griffin?  Can Xavier actually put it together?  And can Rose’s mum, Amy, persuade Rose to talk with her now that Rose has declared that she’s too old for the pretend world of Rosieville, where she used to tell her mother everything?

Rosieville uses externalised dream conversations with a pigeon to bring Rose’s fears and hopes to life before her eyes; and Canberra Youth Theatre’s production of Rosieville brought Rose’s thoughts to life before the Courtyard Studio’s enthusiastic full house. The company’s young members not only filled most of the acting roles — which did include three adults — but also did virtually everything else: costumes, props, soundtrack, and set design and construction.  Accompanied by great lighting, it’s a production they can be proud of.

It takes some time for actors to settle into playing existences that are entirely fictitious. Some rapid comebacks would have benefitted by slight delays and some deceleration, to make conversational responses more realistic; that aside, the cast did a great job of inhabiting those fictions.  Standout performances included those by Imogen Bigsby-Chamberlin, convincingly presenting a likeable girl troubled by uncertainties external and internal in the character of Rose, and by Callum Doherty, very believable as the motivated, good-humoured friend Ben.  But the entire cast pulled off a marvellous performance.

Interestingly, the play programme was presented in the form of a small book incorporating the play’s entire unedited text, a nice touch and an unusual one, especially for a low-price production, and one that provided a memento worth keeping.

John P. Harvey.

Image: [L–R] Imogen Bigsby-Chamberlin and Clare Imlach, in Rosieville. Photographer: Andrew Sikorski, Art Atelier Photography.