These days, opening a dialogue on technology is in itself an act of provocation.
At its best technology represents convenience, cooperation and content. But at its worst, it is capable of utterly dehumanising and alienating us, of unravelling the delicate emotional fibres that make up our relationships as human beings in the blink of an eye (or a Tweet).
Craig Baldwin knows this all too well. The director behind the upcoming Australian season of James Fritz’s Olivier Award-nominated play 4 Minutes 12 Seconds has an intimate understanding of technology’s devastating impact, and the play tackles such themes head on.
“I looked through dozens of plays before I came across this one,” Baldwin explains, “and there was something so immediate about it. I think at first glance the play is this incredible thrill-ride of a story. There are so many twists and turns in the plot and it always stays one step ahead of you, so it is exhilarating to keep getting thrown in a new direction as you watch the play. I think a lot of people will respond to the excitement of that kind of story at first, but that’s just the beginning.”
Capturing the fragile nature of technology and in turn the wider social implications it carries, is weighty work. Having only just flown in from the US the morning he speaks to the BRAG, a country where Baldwin spends much of his time on productions of a greater scale as associate artistic producer at Red Bull Theater, the director seems to be a mood of fatigued eloquence while discussing the pivots upon which the play revolves.
“It’s great to have that ‘gasp’ moment as a plot suddenly turns, but the construction of the play is even more interesting,” Baldwin says. “The play is built around these small fragmented vignettes that jump suddenly forward in time. They are so carefully constructed and so well observed in their naturalism that they elevate to something poetic, in a way. These minute details accumulate within the play and you start to feel a deep resonance in all these tiny moments between the characters.
“Little throw-away phrases of dialogue take on incredible implications – the way a haiku can pack so many layers of meaning into such an economy of syllables. So while the play keeps your brain working to stay with the twists and turns in the plot, it is also imperceptibly working its way into your heart, and the effect is profoundly moving.” However, for Baldwin all of the play’s other aims pale in comparison to its unafraid desire to explore human communication.
“The catalyst for this play is definitely the implications of technology,” he says. “Smart phones, social media, the internet… It’s about the insidious effects that they can have on our lives. But ultimately the true story of this play lies in the way we treat each other; the way class, gender and our own prejudices can blind us to the truth. The technology we now have at our fingertips really just provides new opportunities to understand and connect with each other, and on the flip side, new ways to distance and dehumanise each other. It would be my hope that people walk away from the play with a deeper understanding of those forces.”
Naturalism is a key element of Baldwin’s work with Outhouse Productions, and previous interviews reflect his interest in the nuances of human behaviour and the importance of observation. Baldwin selected his four key thespians through hours of Skype interviews, and remaining sensitive to the social nuances of the original production is something that he sees as central to the play.
“With the work that I do with Outhouse Productions, we tend towards stories that are firmly rooted in naturalism and about considering stories in lifelike detail. We are attracted to the surrounding culture and the role that it plays. Our actors spent significant time researching Croydon, the original area in which 4 Minutes 12 Seconds is set, in South London. Croydon is very much a multicultural working-class area, an area that has resisted gentrification countless times. How this results in the alienation of people and the gap between classes plays a part in what I hope to explore with 4 Minutes.”
Following on from a highly successful season directing The Aliens for the Old Fitz in 2015, Baldwin says the new production is a welcome return to the familiar, intensive confines of the venue, although he acknowledges its challenges. “I’ve spent a lot of time working on casts with 30 people for audiences of 800 people,” Baldwin says with a laugh, “so to be back at the Old Fitz is wonderful and it’s the perfect type of space for the intensity of this play. Following the success of The Aliens last year, which was quite unbelievable, I’ve put myself under a fair bit of self-imposed pressure on how to follow that up … I love coming back because Sydney is the best-kept secret in the sense that it’s got the most talented, dynamic actors in the world.”
[4 Minutes 12 Seconds 3 photo by Rupert Reid]
4 Minutes 12 Seconds runsTuesday September 13 – Saturday October 8 atThe Old Fitzroy Theatre.
