The opening night of ‘Something That Happened’ by The Strangeways Ensemble was one filled with fun and laughter from audience members, young and old alike.
The Strangeways Ensemble, made up of professional neurodiverse actors, put on an inspiring and entertaining performance filled with pop culture and classic references that fit wonderfully within the play’s plot and the base reference to John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.
It was an immersive experience as the audience was able to feel as though they were a fly on the wall during the company’s rehearsals, as well as being part of the conversation about what it means to be neurodivergent with goals and dreams.
The use of narration, both anecdotal and prose extracts from Of Mice and Men by Ethan Arnold, was incredibly powerful. A single spotlight and a microphone on a stage can be very daunting, but he pulled it off with ease. The use of a soundscape, when paired with the monologued moments, pulled the audience in and left me absolutely enthralled. I was astounded when I realised that many sounds were being created in the moment and looped in with the pre-recorded sounds.
It was a lot of fun being in the audience, and there was a clear sense of fun amongst the actors on stage. It was wonderfully unpolished, which is incredibly refreshing. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to sit in an audience and watch something without picking all the minute errors apart from a clearly polished and intensely scheduled performance. There was no need to nitpick because there was no expectation of perfection.
I was very taken with Jordan Bowater’s view on neurodivergent actors; “We shouldn’t have to be defined by what’s wrong with us, we should just be able to be actors.” I do, however, disagree with his view, as I don’t believe that being neurodivergent or having a disability should be categorised as ‘wrong’. The Strangeways Ensemble were wonderfully entertaining and creative with their performance.
‘Something That Happened’ runs until Saturday 23rd September at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (IPAC). It is absolutely worth it, and I recommend it to everyone. Families, friends, take your grandparents, bring your kids, you will have a blast and an eye-opening experience all rolled into one.
Head to the website to grab tickets: https://merrigong.com.au/shows/something-that-happened/
This review also appears on It’s On The House.
