The latest piece from Emily Ayoub and Madeline Baghurst’s Clockfire Theatre Co, Ruins أطلال is a timely 45-minute adventure from Australia to Lebanon, both physical and metaphorical.
Amelia (Ayoub) and her father, Joe (Tony Poli), are planning a trip to their ancestral home, the ancient city of Baalbek in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. But before they can go on their trip, Joe suddenly passes away. Grief-stricken, Amelia decides to take the trip without him. What follows is a dreamy series of images and a meditation on ancestry, legacy, migration, and what it means to return to a place that you don’t remember.
The characters in the piece are creatively rendered – Amelia’s daughter appears only through voiceover; an onstage flautist (alternately Jessica Scott and Gianna Cheung) becomes the winds and sands of time; and an ensemble of three (Baghurst with Adam Al Kuheli and Piumu Wijesundara) takes many shapes, from both the mortal realm and beyond. Throughout the piece, Joe appears as a ghostly presence, and his little “asides” to the story bring great emotional depth.
Theatrical imagery is one of Clockfire’s strengths (their Sydney Fringe hit Plenty of Fish in the Sea comes to mind) and the minimalist use of props to create winding hallways, an archeological dig, and a hotel lobby among other things, is impressive.
The issues brought to light in Ruins are heightened by the fact that, at the same time as this debut season, Baalbek is under fire by the Israeli military (and this is not the first time). The family at the heart of the piece is just one example of many whose homes and lives are being destroyed.
Ruins combines emotive storytelling and polished theatrical imagery to engage with difficult and sensitive subject matter. There are powerful moments, but come the 45 minute mark, the climax is admittedly a little underwhelming. The experimental combination of dialogue, movement, and a short run time makes it difficult to deeply connect with all of the unique choices made to tell the story in this way. Hopefully with further development, this piece can find its full strength.
Ruins is playing downstairs at Belvoir St Theatre, Surry Hills, from October 1–20. This work is presented as part of Belvoir 25A, a platform for independent and emerging artists. Tickets are $25 and you can buy them over here.
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