THE DARK ROOM

The Dark Room, written by Angela Betzien and directed by Leticia Cáceres, pulls the unsuspecting theatregoer into the confronting, barren but deeply emotional world of a dingy motel room somewhere in the Northern Territory.

It is a play about ghosts and the lingering past, with three different stories happening at different times, taking place simultaneously on stage in the one dark motel room. The six characters in the performance all feel trapped, a feeling that is extended to the audience members through the intimacy of the space, the intensity of the drama and by Pete Goodwin’s chilling and jolting sound design. Yet the audience has no desire to escape the claustrophic room, nor the stories unfolding before them.

The calibre of the acting is powerful and ensures the characters don’t get lost in the intertwining stories, particularly the tension between Anni (Leah Purcell), a government youth worker who must spend the night with Grace (Billie Rose Prichard), a violent 14-year-old who has been neglected and knows only how to hurt. This disturbing piece of drama leaves the audience enlightened about the often hidden injustices of the vulnerable in Australian communities, in the hope that with awareness society may have the chance to stop repeating the mistakes of the past.

Until Dec 11, Belvoir St Theatre Downstairs, 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills, $32-42, 9699 3444, belvoir.com.au