In psychology, the short blanket dilemma is an intuitive theory which refers to when blankets are too short, it is impossible to cover both head and feet at the same time. Thus we are forced to choose between two options, but neither of them satisfies us.
In SHORT BLANKET now playing at MERAKI ARTS BAR in Darlinghurst, the audience watches dramatised rehearsals of a play by Lainey, an emerging Filipinx writer. The situation facing Lainey is that after a successful indie season, she has been given the opportunity by an Asian director and producer to bring her talent to the main stage. The play unfolds before the audience through the evolution of rehearsals and rewrites. Ethical issues of tokenism, representation and the striving to keep stories “authentic”, wax and wane. Violence, racism and consent are challenged as marketability constrains choices. These constraints often select who makes the stories we get to tell, and whose real stories are they anyway?
Directed for Slanted Theatre by Tiffany Wong, the team of almost all Asian-Australian theatre-makers plus their token Caucasian male actor, play out this work written by Matt Bostock. The writing is very clever. The use of broken up chunks of rehearsal makes the messages easier to digest. The emotions do not become too overwhelming, or the message too didactic.
Joey (Joseph Tanti), the Caucasian white male, and Dominique (Dominique Purdue), Filipino female are the actors and partners giving life to Lainey’s (Andrea Magpulong) original script which transforms tortuously into something else as Camille (Sayuri Narroway) directs and smoothes through the changes. Camille acts as the go-between for Lainey and Gloria (Monica Russell), the producer. Joey and Dominique play out the range of intense emotions as feelings blur between real life and the script.
The lines and actions in the play are presented unapologetically and the acting is strong. The play is presented as “bold, diverse and authentic”. The character of Gloria was perhaps the one appearing the least complex. She is the senior member of the cast, the producer role, who appears to the younger roles to have ‘sold out’. As she says “how can anything be white with a diverse cast and crew”. She focuses on ‘sugar-coating’ works for the subscribers. I would be intrigued to have her story and theatrical journey revealed perhaps in ‘a prequel’.
The set design Aloma Barnes is appropriately a simple rehearsal room with the executive office desk set off to side. This makes for easy transitions and costume changes. Costume design Rachel Pui Hui Yan is similarly appropriate and streamlined with often only one item of clothing for character changes. During a reflective memory when Dominique thinks back to her grandmother Sound Designer Prema Yin brings in meditative music. This and early transitions music complement the work.
The closing scene extends the ethical dilemmas to current day city movements in Sydney, confirming its relevance to all of the audience. Just as with a short blanket, one is left with an unsettled unease – where are we personally in these dilemmas?
Production Photography – Phil Erbacher
SHORT BLANKET is on at Meraki Arts Bar, 231 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, NSW from 7.30 pm Tuesday to Saturday until 3rd June 2023. Running time 90 minutes. Please note: Meraki Arts Bar may not be an accessible venue to some patrons as it does not have a lift and there are two flights of stairs.
