‘Awhi Tapu’ and ‘An Oak Tree’ are on until the end of the week.  I found both fascinating for the way the story was told as much as for the narrative.

Awhi Tapu at Downstage is set in a small ex-timber town. Wendyl is the leader holding Raj, Casper, and Girl Girl, together. He’s hoping for a positive outcome for the town and his friends. It’s a nice, physical, ensemble piece, with a slightly bitter edge.  Downstage have been gathering audience feedback which they are sharing.

An Oak Tree at Circa is a two hander with a twist. Only Tim Spite (as the Hypnotist) really knows what’s going on. His guest actor/human puppet (as the Father) is unprepared and has never read the script. They (and the audience) are fed their lines in a number of different ways. The fun is in watching the guest react and act out the instructions. Several layers of time and space make it a tricky show to watch. I found it surprisingly moving despite the way we were all manipulated. Or maybe because of the way we were all manipulated…?