Theatre

Due to the nature of what these works are meant to be, this review might be a little tight on the finer details. Proof of Concept was presented as part of The Motley Bauhaus’ Netherworld festival, a program deliberately built around discovery, experimentation and unexpected one-off performances.

‘Proof of Concept’ is a 60 minute double feature of two short plays, presented as a sort of works-in-progress experiment. ‘RAGEFUL’, written by Rebecca Perich, one-third of the creative team alongside performer/producer Maggie Vali, is a dystopian Black Mirror-esque glimpse into a reality where medical misogyny has gone too far. Women who express themselves and their emotions are sent to “therapy” to be “treated”. In other words, they are Pavlov’d with shock therapy into submission. The latter, OCD-Disco, written by Yakinthi, sees two strangers with OCD thrust into a bizarre race against the clock. Their respective OCD becomes a major driving force for the events of the play, and ultimately becomes a connective element as the action progresses.

As you can probably gather, the overall presentations of ‘RAGEFUL’ and ‘OCD-Disco’ as they currently stand are very much still in their infancy. Cues will go off seemingly at random, lines and blocking feel freshly-walked through, there are bits of dialogue that don’t seem to be enforced by neighbouring sections. It is very much like I’ve walked into their very first tech and dress rehearsal, and they’ve just recently gone off prompt. That chaos certainly lends a sense of explorative play to each piece, and as such, there is a refreshing level of spontaneity in the performances. Considering the minimal space and resources these two plays are working with, it is rather impressive how much atmosphere is generated by some nifty lighting design and sound usage.

I think my biggest reservations belong on the writing and conceptual side of things. While I believe that there is plenty of fertile soil laid in both, I did find that there was an overall lack of consistency in the materialising of these ideas. RAGEFUL felt like it had way more gas in the tank, but it spent a lot of its already restricted time spinning its wheels, leading us to an ending that felt like it could’ve continued on. I was particularly confused as to what was meant to be happening in OCD-Disco. I can only assume it was intended to be a finding-friendship-in-unlikely-situations kind of deal, but the action and dialogue was a bit too scattered to make that fully work by its conclusion. Sitting down and delineating more cogent plotlines will greatly benefit these two plays.

The depiction of OCD also felt somewhat stereotypical at times, given the complexity of the disorder. As the work develops, further consideration of how these experiences are represented could add greater nuance and depth to the characters and broaden the scope of the piece.

Overall though, I see Proof of Concept as a spirited attempt at creating sharp, lightning-in-a-bottle theatre, with quite a bit of room for improvement. I would love to see these two pieces get fleshed out more down the line, and the sky really is the limit in terms of possibilities. Certainly a larger space, an abundance of time, and full commitment to these visions will strengthen the muscles. I encourage these three to keep exploring and go as large as possible. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the results.

To book tickets to Proof Of Concept, please visit https://www.eventfinda.com.au/2026/proof-of-concept/melbourne/carlton.

Photographer: Callan Trewenack

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