THEATRE: WAY TO HEAVEN
As far as facts go, we know this: The Nazis opened up a concentration camp called Theresienstadt to a Red Cross worker who wished to inspect it, and no damning evidence was recorded. How did they manage to hide what was going on? What kind of elaborate performance convinced him that nothing was awry? How must he have felt upon later learning the truth?
Way to Heaven, by Spanish playwright Juan Mayorga, plays with these questions and uses them as a jumping off point to explore notions of perception, fear, control and performance.
It’s not just a Holocaust story, and the creative team were careful not to present it as a historical piece. The set and costumes dip into nostalgia but essentially create a world that rings true with our contemporary aesthetic. According to costume designer Xanthe Heubel, “If we were to use period costumes it would be locked into a specific era, and it needed to move beyond that; be more universal. The play is about taking responsibility for your actions and considering how you would behave in a similar situation, so the costumes needed to be relevant to the audience – it’s not a history lesson.”
The creative team behind Way To Heaven are a loose collective who go by the name RideOn and have worked together for years. This time around, a key consideration was the fact that most of the cast members are children. This means double casting, to split the workload, and a lot of logistics, but also gave them a deeper sense of responsibility. “When you’ve got kids involved it adds another level. They and their parents are giving up their time for free, and you want to make sure that the relevance and message of the play is properly understood.”
Apr 14-May 8, SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod St, Kings Cross, $15-30, 8002 4772, griffintheatre.com.au
