Finn O’Branagáin’s play, Selkie, uses old Orkney mythology to explore the important themes of domestic violence and coercive control. A Selkie is a creature that lives in the sea in the form of a seal, coming to land and shedding their seal skin to become attractive and seductive humans.
Rónnad (Celeste Cortez Davis) finds herself naked on the beach after losing her seal skin, trapping her on land. She is ‘rescued’ by Séan (Josh Hammond), who takes her in to his home, gives her clothing, and promises to help find her skin. There’s no actual nudity in the play, and it isn’t needed, the idea of a Selkie without her seal skin effectively achieved in other ways.
Trapped in Séan’s care, the two develop an awkward relationship, just like Selkie’s of mythology who are sometimes tricked into marrying humans. Rónnad tries her best to assimilate while missing her life of freedom in the sea, longing to escape. Tensions rise as she fails to meet Séan’s expectations, who both claims to love her idiosyncrasies, but is also angered by them. The symbolism is beautifully woven between real relationships born of entrapment and the Celtic mythology.
It was interesting how there was absolutely no chemistry between the pair. Words of love and affection felt empty and hollow, demonstrating the lack of real connection between the couple despite outward behaviour. While Séan seems infatuated by the idea of Rónnad, he fails to connect with her true self. Rónnad herself struggles to conform, trapped on the land, trying her best to love Séan without losing her own identity. Struggles often experienced by those who suffer abusive relationships.
The play felt a bit too short and could have used a few more scenes to really develop both the dysfunctional relationship and the growing tension between the pair. The lack of time smothered the play’s ability to escalate the emotional abuse more subtly and effectively.
The performances were strong, and I really enjoyed the creative directing in telling the story with minimal set design. I was drawn into their world thanks to well-designed lighting and audio effects. The choice of music to induce emotion was disappointing however, and could have been more effective without lyrics.
Selkie is currently playing at The Old Fitz Theatre as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival.
To book tickets to Selkie, please visit https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/selkie.
Photographer: Robert Miniter
