‘Break’ // The Farm
‘Break’ was intense.
What is the cost of our ambition?
‘Break’ is a brand-new autobiographical work by Cecilia Martin, known in the show as Ceci, in collaboration with Gold Coast-based dance company The Farm.
Martin is a circus performer who had travelled the world as a professional acrobat but after a series of accidents and injuries had to leave her passion.
Through a mix of theatre, dance and circus, Martin takes us on her personal journey to discover how we define ourselves and how we, quite literally, pull ourselves back up again when our dreams crumble around us.
The work itself by Martin along with directors Kate Harman and Gavin Webber was well thought out, creating a defined character arc and showcasing Martin’s versatility as a performer through comedy, vulnerability, dance and even trapeze. It was in these moments of acrobatic work that Martin particularly shone as she demonstrated her tightly honed skills. Her trapeze work was breathtaking and a beautiful homage to her love for the craft.
The show kicked off with a bang as spandex clad Martin performed an energetic dance routine to an adrenaline inducing Jesus Christ Superstar instrumental. She completes the dance and turns to the audience with a cheeky smile on her face and asks, “soooo, what did you think?” setting the tone for the engaging, vulnerable and tongue in cheek show to follow.
The show excelled in creating dynamic visuals. A particular powerful moment in the show was when Martin demonstrated the classic circus trick of spinning plates. The trick appeared to be going as expected until she lets the final plate smash to the floor symbolising her fragility. The plate metaphor extended into a scene where Martin complies the shattered plates and lays on top of them as if at the beach as she half-heartedly attempts to enjoy her vacation from the circus. The symbolism of being forced to take a break away from what she loves as she lies on her shattered dreams was very striking indeed.
In addition to an entertaining exploration of the Martin’s life, the show also gave an interesting insight into the world of circus performers. Martin explains to us how different aspects of acrobatics work including descriptions of pyramids and flyers, and even the belt’s function in trapeze work.
Lighting design by Briana Clark complemented the sparse visual design of Rozina Sullivan. The shroud of smoke around the room added intrigue and a dream like quality to Martin’s reflections, and the strong impetus from the electronic sound design by Ben Ely and Anna Whitaker injected a big jolt of adrenaline to Martin’s performance.
It must be noted that this show contained a large amount of audience participation for those sitting in the front row, so for those who aren’t partial to jumping on stage it would be wise to sit further back.
While the audience participation did make for some dynamic visuals demonstrating the fundamental collaboration of working in an acrobatic ensemble, the awkwardness of the encounter did detract slightly from Martin’s moving story.
It could also be beneficial for future shows to vary audience members for the participation, as in this particular performance my unsuspecting 60 something year old mother was pulled up for audience participation four times which slightly distracted from her enjoyment of the performance as she couldn’t relax into the show. There also could have been a bit more guidance for audience members on stage, especially for participation that was quite physical and could have been uncomfortable for both the audience member and Martin like the trust fall at the end of the show. Understandably to keep the flow of the show there was little time for full briefings, but perhaps in future shows there could be a way to quickly check in with the participants on stage more as to what is happening to minimise the awkwardness and ensure they feel comfortable with what they’re doing.
Overall, ‘Break’ is a powerful and compelling show that will hold particular resonance for performers in the circus or acrobatic space, but also for anyone who has ever been motivated by an ambition and seen it crumble around them. It really leaves the audience contemplating just how far they would go for their passion, and if they do, what could break along the way.
‘Break’ played at Metro Arts for one weekend only. To stay up to date with future productions and The Farm and Cecilia Martin’s work, visit The Farm’s website.
