Set Me On Fire

Backdock Arts is exactly the sort of intimate space, and Set Me On Fire by Samara Louise is just the sort of drama you’d want to be immersed in at the start of a weekend of creativity courtesy of Brisbane’s Anywhere Festival. This one-hour piece, directed by Cale Dennis, is a gentle romance, but packs a powerful emotional punch thanks to the sincerity of its storytelling and the heartfelt charm and warmth of its performers. This is a nostalgic love story that ironically references Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet), but with characters named Eden and Noah, this two-hander is vaguely Steinbeckian – albeit with ‘offscreen’ torment provided by an unseen family member. The bittersweet script feels autobiographical but is poetic enough to translate to any early romance – I think most of us can relate to the thrill of first love, when possibilities are exciting and endless, only to be painfully thwarted by interfering forces – or as one other drama put it: “reality bites!”

Rachel McMurray (actor, dancer, singer currently completing the Acting course at Queensland University of Technology) is everyone’s ideal first love. She emits the maturity of the older Eden – and then we see her younger self: a warm individual, but one who is strong enough to know at a very early age how far she wants to compromise in her relationships. The thrift shop setting is perfectly captured – I smiled when I saw the album by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, and the lovely Lemair Deluxe 1350 portable typewriter clearly labelled ‘This item is not for sale’. I can just see would-be writer, Eden, carefully placing this treasure in her glass display cabinet. As Noah, Mannon Davies (also studying Acting at QUT) is perfectly cast as the one who got away – the Marvel Comic collector who just can’t grow up enough to escape family pressures. He’d rather put his dreams on hold for a quiet life. The hidden tensions in the performances are quietly heartbreaking – or as one audience member put it: “I didn’t know I’d need to break out the tissues!” The performers very skillfully capture the mature tang of ‘je ne regrette rien’ as the older couple, but are equally at home playing their 17-year-old selves. There is absolutely no overacting here – director Cale Dennis has found just the right balance, and Samara’s script is strictly soap-free. I really enjoyed the honesty and poetry of this production.

Set Me On Fire is the first production for Silent Sky, a new indie collective that Samara and Cale have created to nurture emerging talent and original works. As with any indie production, the crew are also important. In this case, Stage Manager, Cullyn Beckton, and Technical Designer, Tim James, provide creative support, along with friends and family. Backdock Arts is a great space with about 50 very plush seats (unusually comfy for a small theatre!) There is a bar and a wonderful, graffiti-adorned outdoor area to enjoy an inspired chat after the show. So, if you want to experience that rush of a new relationship, join Samara and Cale in their first flush of creative success while you discover our next generation of stage talent.

Beth Keehn

Photographer: Cale Dennis

Find out more: https://anywhere.is/event/set-me-on-fire

Discover the Anywhere Festivals: https://anywhere.is/about-anywhere/