Most of us know the story ofOedipus Rex– or if we don’t, we at least know some variation on it. It is one of the foundational texts of Western literature; a story of jealousy, prophecy and fate that proves that not only were the Classical gods jerks, but that they had their eyes on the big picture. Adena Jacobs directs the latest incarnation of this story in the Downstairs Theatre at Belvoir, a space that brings you so close to the action you are but a breath away from being part of the play itself.
Prior to her appointment as co-resident director at Belvoir, Jacobs was busy honing her craft at locations as disparate as Melbourne and New York. Over time a theatre develops its own personality, its own tone, shaped in turn by the people who come to view each performance and those who work behind the scenes. Belvoir has proved no exception.
“It’s actually quite eye-opening,” Jacobs says. “I’ve worked at the Malthouse before, I’ve worked as an independent artist, and Belvoir just feels to me like something unto itself. It’s an incredibly unique place, in that it’s a theatre that has a huge audience space, it’s something that has a lot of cultural impact on Sydney, but on the inside it operates a lot like a family. There’s a beautiful kind of free spirit to it. It might be something to do with its original roots. It feels like it’s living in the moment; it has its own energy. For me, what has been the most challenging part is learning what a Sydney audience is like, which is quite different to a Melbourne one. That’s where I’m finding my footing.”
The notion of idiosyncratic audiences is an intriguing one, implying as it does that directors may be faced with a potentially cool reception if their production deviates too greatly from what loyal crowds expect. The pseudo-artistic feud that is said to exist between Melbourne and Sydney may well be a case in point.
“Perhaps there is a love of text in Sydney, or at least it’s something which is more present in the theatrical landscape, whereas Melbourne is less so. I think that each have just been fed a very different diet for the past 30 years, and so their expectations when they come to the theatre are very different.”
There would seem no finer setting for a story that has withstood the test of time than a theatre which is itself considered something of a classic. Belvoir has seen its share of productions new and old, and although the Upstairs Theatre is ordinarily the space you would expect to find established work, Jacobs was firm in her conviction to stage this production in a more intimate environment.
“I find something really exciting in presenting epic ideas and extreme circumstances in a really tiny space, because it immediately makes the audience complicit and responsible in a way that I think is really interesting as far as Greek theatre goes. Sitting there in that [Downstairs] Theatre is a lot like sitting in an amphitheatre. I had certain questions that I wanted to explore, which I felt like I could do best via this myth given it’s one that everybody knows. It has to do with the notion of suffering, which has been part of a lot of my work, and Oedipus Rex is one of the most famous examples of a suffering subject. It’s something to do with the inescapably of fate and time, mortality and shame. How does somebody live on after they’ve committed what they believe to be a horrible act? How do you live on after tragedy? I find that a really confronting and fascinating thing to magnify onstage in front of an audience.”
Oedipus Rexis playing atBelvoir St Theatre until Sunday September 14, tickets online.
