'One Two Ten' is a boutique, bittersweet anthology of stories, uttered at the same time for exactly two minutes until there is no one left to hear them. It takes audiences on a journey through ten different worlds led by ten different people in ten different rooms.
Held at the Old Leckhampton House at Kangaroo Point, 'One Two Ten' is an unforgettable experience in which audiences are taken from one room to another, being met by a two-minute solo performance, and then whisked away to another room and another solo until all ten solos have been seen and all ten stories heard.
“The Old Leckhampton House holds a lot of magic all on its own. It's very old and it's had a lot through it. You can feel its history as you walk through the hallways and we think that bringing the little intimate encounters between the performers and the audience into this building is going to be a really incredible evening,” says Project Coordinator, Caitlin Mackenzie.
© Benjamin O’Neal Photography & DesignEach performance is exactly that – an intimate encounter. Each performer is met by a small cluster of audience members who are in a whirlwind of emotions and adventure, eager to take in what each performer is giving in their short space of time together. There’s no time to gather thoughts or ponder, it’s a roller coaster of being drawn in to a whole new world over and over again.
“They go on this journey where they fall in and out of all these worlds. There’s no real time to reflect on the show until afterwards when you start to pull it all together, so they’re really swept up and occupied for the whole time. It’s not scary, we’re welcoming, we’re inviting, and we’re asking them to trust us.”
Each performer comes from a wide range of backgrounds and experience, and each have been given the challenge of saying what they want to say while sticking to a strict two minute time frame. In most cases, what is regarded as short solo is one that will go for three to four minutes, to cutting that down to merely two minutes is excruciatingly hard.
“You need to think about what you really want to say. You have to be succinct and precise, but you still have to connect with the audience, so it’s really really tricky... They don’t have time to waffle, they have to say exactly what they want to say and exactly how they want to say it. It’s really intense for the performer – they have to perform it ten times and they have to do it the same way with the same intensity.”
The round-robin type journey is one that challenges traditional theatre, and is a must-see event in this year’s Anywhere Festival. “Expect to go on a journey, to be challenged and to be surprised. I think the main thing to expect is a really unique night and an opportunity to have a genuine connection with both artists and individuals.”
'One Two Ten' performs the Aboriginal Centre For Performing Arts, 14-16 and 21-23 May.
