Cate Prestidge is a principal academic and co-ordinator of journalism and communication programmes at Wintec. She has been writing theatre reviews for NZME since 2021.
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It’s exciting seeing new theatre – there’s no prescriptive book and it’s all up for grabs in terms of stagecraft and symbolism.
It must be satisfying for Slaughter to see the work performed.
The premise is the age-old psychological conundrum of how to reconcile different aspects and influences on our lives and become our true selves.
This is revealed through the main character, rising techpreneur Sophia Ingari (Abigail von Ahsen).
Outwardly successful, under the surface Sophia is navigating past hurt and a slew of conflicting voices jostling for precedence.
Dave Moore, Mel Martin-Booker and Molly McGrath in "court". Photo / Slaughterhouse Productions
The themes are heavy, so it’s challenging to express them in a way that releases them with clarity and wit for the audience to appreciate.
There’s a lot of humour and drama in the script and solid performances all round, but with numerous character changes and a lot of cross-over action, it feels like there is still work to do to sharpen the narrative and delivery of key elements.
In the ending, for example, a key character arc was resolved in an impactful and satisfying way, but the following scenes could have been resolved more quickly and symbolically.
The cast worked as an ensemble as they shifted characters and scenes, and the costuming and makeup was effective in helping communicate these changes.
We opened with Vor (Mel Martin-Booker) as a kind of unspecified overseer, joining up the action and working alongside the other characters, as well as above them.
Abigail von Ahsen showed confidence and mastery of dialogue in a big role as the overwhelmed executive Sophia, as her character grappled with responsibility and a slow loss of control.
Molly McGrath commanded the stage and showed some deft accent work with a range of key characters who were capable, confrontational, subversive and sympathetic.
Janine Swainson brought confidence and panache to her different roles, including a fun turn as a lascivious Hollywood star.
I also enjoyed the rest of the cast, who at turns were serious and comedic, and Amelia Mathews was excellent as White, a representative of young Sophia.
The set was effective in showing multiple scenes, supported by projections and a series of representative backdrops brought in by actors.
A couple of set changes could be simplified by having one item do multiple jobs (I’m looking at you desk/chair/cafe table).
The “control room” is a cool reveal and well stocked with items, although characters got lost in the depth of the space at times, and the important symbolic character of White was hard to see from some parts of the theatre.
Overall, the play is thought-provoking, leaving you thinking about your own life and influences and the complexities of reconciling the different voices we all carry.
As I left, I heard a woman say, “It kinda messes with the audience’s head as well, doesn’t it?”
Notwithstanding my view that at nearly three hours (including the interval), the play needs a further edit and a sharpening of direction, it is a bold and interesting work that should be applauded and supported.
The play premiered in Hamilton last week, but there will also be a film version, which is due to premiere at Hamilton’s Lido Cinema next year, before being distributed online.
Slaughterhouse has the wider goal to share Unconscious with theatres internationally, while also exploring the potential to develop it as a TV series.
After initial support from Creative NZ to develop the work, Slaughterhouse crowdfunded to mount the production and is just a few hundred dollars away from its target of $3000.
There’s still time if you want to support them, visit https://www.thearts.co.nz/boosted/projects/unconscious
Cate Prestidge is a principal academic and co-ordinator of journalism and communication programmes at Wintec.She has been writing theatre reviews for NZME since 2021.
