Returning for the third time to Sydney Fringe, On The Cusp Productions invites audiences to read between the lines with surrealist theatre this Sydney Fringe with their latest offering, ‘Art For Art’s Sake’.
The fourth 60-minute theatre show by Sydney playwright Sage Godrei, ‘Art For Art’s Sake’ investigates the values society ascribes on corporate identity and the dalliance of artistic drive, with the play dissecting the meaning of success for two siblings, Fran (played by Sage) and her brother George.
“It’s a show that is going to allow people to see the artists’ perspective, and how artists actually view the world in a very different light to people who have taken a more conservative path in life,” Sage says.
“The world puts so much value on positions that have money as a motivator, but without the brave people – the artists, the storytellers, the painters and those sorts of people who open up dimensions and imagination – the world would be a very boring place I think. My inspiration for the show is to say that those artists, those brave people, should keep going.”
Traversing the Norse legend of Odin and the sacrifices he made to unveil the secrets of the underworld, the audience should prepare to leave the world behind as they take a glimpse into life from the perspective of an alternate reality.
“I’m so excited about this aspect of the play, because I think it’s through myths and fairy tales that so much is revealed about who we are in culture and the direction we’re going. Fairy tales apparently help to reveal or match up our conscious with our unconscious because it’s so familiar, and when we read them or when we read them to children, something is happening in us that is developing and connecting the conscious and the unconscious. And I think that’s what myths do as well.
“In regards to the myth of Odin, he sacrificed himself under The Tree of Life, and through that he actually discovered secrets from the underworld. And I guess it’s symbolic to an artistic journey in that it may not always be easy, but if you push through and persevere there’s no regrets, only lessons learned.”
Directed by Prudence Bernadette, the piece invokes a sense of wonder as we embrace Fran’s artistic ambitions through surrealism and choreographed ensemble sequences.
“Prudence is in her final year of studying musical theatre, so I thought she’d be a perfect fit,” Sage says. “She’s looking for experience, a Fringe show’s great for experimenting, and I thought her experience suits us very well because she’s got the dance background and she’s very intuitive. She reads from the actor what would work in the scene, and she ties up the narrative with the actors’ abilities really, really well I’m finding, so I’m loving that.”
Joining the cast in rehearsals is Australian actor, director and producer, Nicholas Papademetriou, who will join the ensemble cast as Fran’s father when ‘Art For Art’s Sake’ plays Ensemble Theatre later this year.
“I’m really looking forward to working with Nicholas and I’m also a little bit nervous because of the calibre of his ability, but I’m sure he’s going to teach us a lot in our craft with his experience.”
