Cemetery respectfully opens for business

THEATRE

Rest

East Perth Cemetery

4.5 stars

REVIEW KENT ACOTT

The East Perth cemetery has been “closed for business” for more than 100 years.

Today — surrounded by busy roads, multi-storey homes and offices — it sits quietly, heavily fenced and largely inaccessible.

Yet, within its perimeter, lie thousands of stories. And it is a snapshot of these stories that underpins this cleverly conceived and immaculately researched piece of immersive theatre.

Patrons are given a unique opportunity to experience these stories at night, beneath the stars and amid sparsely lit tombstones, paths and trees.

And the experience takes a number of forms — through one-on-one conversations beside a monument, or through an avenue of dramatic dark forms or by lying amid a field of the unmarked graves, first in silence and then to the recorded observations of an Aboriginal elder.

Access to the cemetery, especially at night, is rare and a major factor in the appeal of this presentation. But it offers so much more. As a collaboration between the National Trust of WA and the WA Youth Theatre Company, it mashes into an engaging mix of history and creativity.

Despite the subject matter, there is a freshness to it and an absolute respectfulness to the site and to the people whose remains lie within it.

It brings history alive — but is not bogged down by it. Rather, it finds a contemporary perspective that allows time for personal reflections and to consider an individual’s sense of space and time.

Get a ticket, if you can.

Rest is at 9pm on Wednesday, Thursday, February 1-3 and 6-10. And at 10.30pm on February 1-2 and 8-9.