The Verbatim Project: Hometown glory

Posted on 13 July, 2017

In 2017, Canberra Youth Theatre will be the only company in Canberra to be taking a production interstate. 

This is all thanks to The Verbatim Project, which they will take to Sydney to perform at the Australian Theatre for Young People’s Studio 1 at The Wharf, from the 19 to 22 July. However, Sydneysiders aren’t having all the fun: after a sold-out season last year, The Verbatim Project is back for two shows only at Canberra Theatre Centre on the 14 and 15 July.

Featuring performers from Canberra Youth Theatre and from Canberra Dance Theatre’s over-65 GOLD Troupe, The Verbatim Project integrates young and old to examine cross-generational dynamics, and examine whether age means difference, or whether there is an inherent human quality which frames a universal experience of what it means to be alive.

Verbatim theatre speaks deeply to the inner life of the human mind. Fuelled by the development of new technology such as portable listening devices, verbatim theatre has consistently sat at the forefront of technological and performative advances. Delivering the thoughts of people ‘word for word’ (as the same suggests),

Delivering the thoughts of people ‘word for word’ (as the same suggests), this unique style provides a window into the imaginative landscape of performers, encouraging the audience to engage critically with themselves.

Highlighting alternately the differences and similarities between the cross-generational cast, The Verbatim Project is thought-provoking, and it is no wonder that it has been picked from the masses to tour in Sydney.

The Verbatim Project promises to join the annals of Australian verbatim theatre, standing with Paul Brown’s Aftershocks (1993), and Alana Valentine’s Run Rabbit Run (2004), bringing this incisive art form into its third decade of success in Australia.

the essentials 

What: The Verbatim Project
When: 14-15 July
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre
Tickets: www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au