“Blackrock,” is a 1996 Australian play written by Nick Enright, and being presented this season by Thrive Productions at BackDock Arts, Fortitude Valley.
The synopsis opens up to several teenagers and their families living in the beachside town, Blackrock. A group of friends reunite after one of them, Ricko, returns from a trip. They plan to attend the birthday beach bash of their friend, Toby, doubling it as a “welcome home,” party. After a night of drinking, drugs and reckless fun, 15yr old Tracy Warner is found on the beach. Rumours swirl and questions of trust and loyalty begin to stir throughout Blackrock. The lives of Jared, Ricko and his friends are never the same.
Lighting and sound was kept simple and was handled well throughout. Different punk rock/ soft rock would play during transitions between scenes as well as when cast members were reminded of the death of their friend or the feelings attached to their loss. The lighting was a white wash and remained consistent throughout the entire play.
The cast’s use of their space was interesting, as there was no easy way to leave stage other than the door in upper stage left. The set design consisted of several black stage blocks and stools on either side for all actors to sit on while a scene played out centre stage. The cast wore actors blacks, collecting props from upper centre stage when needed, emphasising the skills of the actors over embellishments. The cast entered and exited in single file, refraining from facial expressions until they were in character. They took to creating various formations or standing in place when transitioning through each scene change. This may have been handled differently to look a bit smoother between scenes, but made sense given the floor space.
The casting was done well and was a pleasure to watch, despite the seriousness of the play’s themes. All actors performed enthusiastically in their roles and gave great representation of small town, Australian life.
Notable mentions include the roles of Jared, Ricko, Jared’s mother and Tiffany. The emotional depths the characters explored were key to capturing the fullness of their essence, which they executed almost seamlessly. It is a wonderful skill as an actor to be able to portray their characters displays of inner turmoil, how their emotions guide or affect them and whatever convictions their characters hold onto that offer them strength.
Over time, layers were peeled back to explore the headspace of characters like Jared and Ricko; once thought to be birds of a feather, but then challenged beyond what either of them ever expected. Their performances were impressive and highly engaging, making me eager and looking forward to seeing them in future productions.
I recommend this Australian Drama to audiences 15yrs onwards, as scenes contain references to sexual assault, suicide and violence that could be triggering or upsetting for some.
To book tickets to Blackrock , please visit https://buytickets.at/backdockarts/1478600.
