Contemporary theatre with a punch!

This World Premier theatre production left me thinking, what if? What would happen if a character or person had done something differently at a certain point? How would things change?

Dance after Death chronicles a period in the young lives of Oscar, Ezra, Isla, Briar and Elijah. It's a High School drama that explores complex issues, emotions and their ramifications. The themes go beyond binge drinking and romantic relationships. It even touches on domestic violence.

There are positive aspects to the plot too and the youthful cast all give a dynamic and powerful performance. The actors take us on a roller coaster ride of emotions as they explore the human qualities of 'good' and 'bad'. It also deals with creating bonds of friendship, tearing them apart and forging new bonds, in an unpredictable way. This is totally relatable and is reflected in real life.

This play was performed at Theatre One at Hayman Theatre, on the campus of Curtin University. An intimate venue where you could almost touch the cast. The lighting, sound, props and sets were all simple and straightforward (yet effective). As were the costumes, or lack thereof. That took me a while to get used to. The actors looked like they were dressed for a night on the couch in front of the telly. Well maybe not that casual but definitely dressed down. They also didn't wear make-up. Some members of the audience may find this unusual, me included. But this was contemporary theatre.

And contemporary theatre done well. The exuberance of the cast shone through as only youthful vigour allows. There was a sense of excitement amongst the audience as I could see friends of the cast and crew take their seats. This was a little contagious and I was hoping to see something or someone pretty good. Dance after Death left me thinking and I was really glad to have seen it.