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​Beast in the Room

​Theatreworks, March 20-28, 2024

A woman is lost.
A child is rebuilding his world as another threat looms.
They find each other and embark on a journey of loss and hope.

Theatremaker April Albert and her 16-year-old son Jule weave together a tale of building worlds and utopias amongst the dystopic. How are we marked and transformed by loss? Where do we find hope and healing for the next generation? Part autofictional storytelling, part theatrical devising, part conversation, a head-and heart-smashing journey about finding your way through the darkness.
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Created and Performed by April Albert and Jule Boyle
Creative Collaborators: Andi Snelling, Rachel Baring, John Kachoyan 
Photos/Projection and Set Design by Matto Lucas
Lighting Design: Sidney Younger
Sound Design: Sharyn Brand
Interview with April Albert on Beast in the Room : www.theatreworks.org.au/post/in-conversation-with-april-albert
Reviews:
" Beast in the Room is an elemental play. Profound. Moving and perfectly imperfect: the work of two deeply artistic souls reaching out into the darkness searching for connection."  - Theatre Travels
 
" I was deeply moved by the show. The interactions... the way you’re co-narrating, co-creating and in constant relation to each other (sometimes your son is the parent, sometimes your son is the caretaker, sometimes your son is the asker of persistent questions who is no longer consenting to silence) was both striking and affecting. I was so blown away by how high the stakes are for both of you. [redacted for spoiler alert] that moment….went right through my heart…. The responsibility you take as a parent to do this show is enormous. I loved all the entwining of themes and perspectives – the Minecraft stuff was so brilliant, alongside the much deeper explorations. The way time is fractured, non-linear, circular, layered in the show felt so true to the experiences you were speaking of. I loved you moving between German and English and the uses of the recordings and also the way you ’show your hand’ revealing some parts of the making of the show itself. I also loved also that this show was quite short (relatively speaking), a smaller canvas on which to say so much with so much economy and without milking anything."  - Writer Maria Tumarkin

Photos below by Matto Lucas