Can we work together to build something better?

8 young people were given the task: to create the best Tent that they could using a complex set of ropes and pulleys, and a huge patchwork of recycled sheets.

They were asked to do it democratically. “What does that mean?” they asked. No answer was given so they went ahead anyway.

The chaos that ensued was documented and a re-enactment of events created, but no one is sure if they can agree on how it went down.

THE TENT is a metaphor for the social and political structures we live within. They appear to resemble permanent architctural structures, but they are much more maleable and changeable than they first appear. Tensions pulling in multiple directions raise the roof, but what happens when everyone lets go of the ropes?

A rallying call against political apathy, The Tent encourages us to take our role in democracy as a serious responsibility, and asks “Can we work together to build something better?”

“This re-enactment is much more polite than I remember it being in real life.”

“…Unexpected in its construction and unexpected in its emotional punch. This show taught me more about the beauty of democracy than Question Time… We could feel it. We could see it in action. We held it in our hands… I cannot imagine a more needed or more poignant subject for young people to interrogate, to understand and to move through.”

Read the full review of The Tent by Kate Liston-Mills

READ REVIEW

Created for FLING Physical Theatre

Presented May 2024, FLING Physical Theatre, Bega, NSW

Director/ Choreographer - Rob McCredie

Created in collaboration with the performers of the FLING Company

Perdita Brydon, Jasper Clark, Isha Constable, Harry Haggar, Otis Lauder, Darby Rosenbaum, Alfie Tait, Amalia Grace Thompson

Rehearsal Direction and Collaborator - Beth Lane

Choreographic Collaborator and Understudy - Jarrah Cattlin

Lighting Design and Rigging - Gerry Corcoran GCLX

Composer - David Hewitt

Production Coordinator - Anne Corcoran