Harvey hosts talent of The Actors’ Hub for rehearsals of their original show Is There Anybody Out There?

While it’s normal for a damsel locked in a tower to get the fairytale ending in a play, one performance is hoping to show the true nature of these stories. Last week, Harvey hosted the talent of The Actors’ Hub who spent their time in town rehearsing a performance of their original show Is There Anybody Out There? in the Harvey Recreation and Cultural Centre. The show aims to draw attention to Australia’s domestic violence epidemic exposing some of the stories told to kids which normalise the issue as part of a series of plays called The Blind Eye Trilogy. It is one of three performances from the Hub, looking to raise awareness on issues that culture can often turn a blind eye towards. Show director Amanda Crewes said the group aim to use “theatre as a catalyst” inviting the community to come together and have a discussion around an issue often avoided. “It brings communities together talking about these tough things we don’t like to talk about, but in this forum — we do like to talk about it, and then we actually solve problems that we would normally turn a blind eye to,” she said. “We need to talk about it, otherwise we sweep it under the carpet — we owe it to our communities to talk about this.” The third show of the trilogy, follows One Punch Wonder, which explores Australia’s one punch epidemic and the lies told to young boys which can lead to violent outbursts, and The Innocent Pawn which explores the use of pornography and its ways of objectifying people. “We see these shows as a catalyst for conversation, it’s not really actually about the show, it’s actually about the conversation that comes afterwards, which is just incredible,” Ms Crewes said. Each show comes together through interviews with real people impacted by the subject matter, from survivors to perpetrators, with their stories told verbatim through the actors in the play. “Is There Anybody Out There? is something like 85 per cent verbatim,” Ms Crewes said. “It’s the things that makes people want to talk, because they’re hearing all these people’s opinions, and then afterwards, they also feel comfortable enough to give their own opinion.” On the stage Adam Leeuwenhart, Thomas Walkland, Christian Tomaszewski, Elvin Lamprecht, Ava Lyas and Jordan Crewes all give powerful performances jumping between comedy and chilling drama as they switch from fairytales to unfiltered truth and real people’s experiences with domestic violence. Alongside the show, the group are travelling across several regional towns, from Narrogin, Esperance, Merredin and Carnarvon with the potential to take the show to Darwin and Alice Springs, though, Ms Crewes said Harvey is a great place to start their tour. “We were on the radio this morning, and their motto is ‘It’s your turn talking’, and I think that is so important because Harvey does talk,” she said. The Actors’ Hub will be returning to Harvey August 13 for a performance of Is There Anybody Out There? at the Harvey Recreation and Cultural Centre. The show runs from 7.30pm to 9pm and tickets can be bought on the HRCC’s website.