Tropical Arts presents Shakespeare, but not as you know it
A Cairns theatre group is putting a modern twist on Shakespeare by turning one of his comedies into a social media hashtag.
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A CAIRNS theatre group is putting a modern twist on Shakespeare by turning one of his comedies into a social media hashtag.
While a name like 2GEN#CNS (pronounced Two Gen hashtag Cairns) may stir memories of iSnack 2.0, Tropical Arts is going the extra mile by combining the elements of classic theatre with the inclusiveness and diversity of modern art.
2GEN#CNS has a cast of 35, including five Chinese actors, Korean and PNG actors, school students, as well as members from ARC Disability Services Inc.
President Velvet Eldred said the key principle of a Tropical Arts production was that anyone could have a go – there are no auditions and the team works to find a role for everyone, even if it means taking creative liberties.
“What we’ve done this year is gone back to the idea of a classical Greek chorus, having actors externalise the internal world of the main character.” she said.
“This means we can have multiple actors playing the same character and using props like a hat or vest that they pass between each other to indicate which one is speaking.
“The bottom line is to say that anyone could be this character; any of us could, say, fall in love with our best friend’s girlfriend, and theatre lets us explore that range of possibilities.”
The show is a modern take on Two Gentlemen of Verona, edited and modernised to take place in Cairns and Melbourne.
Tropical Arts artistic director Avril Duck reworked the script, keeping the original story structure intact and letting the ensemble do the emotional lifting.
Ms Eldred said audiences in the past had been gobsmacked by the unconventional approach of a diverse ensemble cast sharing roles and taking liberties.
“Our premise is that anyone can have self-worth, and people are often blown away by how capable and extraordinary human beings are,” she said.
Tropical Arts uses large ensemble casts to emphasise its focus on diversity, though past shows have been even bigger – last year’s Twelfth Night had more than 50 cast members.
As part of the production, they got an RADF grant to employ Doug Robbins, a wheelchair-bound actor with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, to train two young actors from ARC, Joy Nomani and Troy Johnston for leadership roles on stage.
Ms Eldred said the work Robbins was doing with the two proved how theatre could give disabled actors a place of recognition and ambition.
“Joy has gone from mumbled and shy to being able to deliver Shakespearean monologues,” she said.
“It was her decision to jump from ARC to Tropical Arts and in doing so, she, along with Troy, have found a place where they can be leaders.”
2GEN#CNS opens at the Tanks on October 4, 7pm, with shows on the 5th and 9th at 11am and October 10-12 at 7pm. Tickets $33 adults, $24 youth and concession available at ticketlink.com.au
Originally published as Tropical Arts presents Shakespeare, but not as you know it