Small Metal Objects

Synopsis

This ingenious theatrical gem unfolds amidst the commuter rush at Stratford Station. Sitting above the main concourse with your own set of headphones, you’ll eavesdrop on a secret and intensely personal drama as it unfolds somewhere in the crowd. Gary and Steve are the kind of men who normally escape notice. But they’re about to play an in unintentional but pivotal role in the day of two ambitious executives who they’ve arranged to meet for a transaction. As the intimacy of their situation develops, small metal objects becomes a luminous depiction of an age where a person’s value is determined by their productivity. Back to Back makes locally devised but globally relevant theatre. Known for its ability to illuminate complex issues with a unique form of lateral thinking, the company is driven by an ensemble of six actors considered to have intellectual disabilities. Back to Back’s last two major works have premiered to critical acclaim and sold out at the Melbourne International Arts Festival: small metal objects won The Age Critics’ Special Commendation at the Melbourne International Arts Festival in 2005 and Soft won The Age Critics’ Award for Creative Excellence in 2002. Their previous work, Cow, was part of LIFT in 2003.

Latest User Review

E.C - 3 November 2007:

Walking through Stratford station at 7.00 in the evening, if you chance to look up you will see a raised platform of chairs overlooking the concourse, with a small group of spectators wearing headphones and gazing intently into the crowd of commuters hastily going passed. If you are one of these headphone wearers, you are listening to a touching secret assignation as it unfolds in the midst of oblivious passers-by. Small Metal Objects focuses on two men, Gary and Steve, who are considered to have intellectual disabilities, and what this means in society today. A simple and straightforward piece with a moving message. The sentimentality of the piece is heightened by the peacefulness of the warmth between the two men, giving it a pure and openly honest feel. The audience watch uncomfortably while the corporate psychologist starts to become aggressively impatient with Steve’s stead refusal to move and his desperate wish to be loved. By using the innovative idea of the headphones, the audience were able to spectate from a distance yet be engulfed by the tender relationship between the two men. Without the occasional annoying cough from other audience members, you are completely engrossed in the drama as you eavesdrop. This is an original idea met with beautiful and poignant juxtapositions of dialogue and music; a truly wonderful production....

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