Creation Creation, Windmill Theatre ·
Review by Pippa Turnbull, 14 years ·

Adelaide theatre company Windmill Theatre have produced 63 performances in the last 17 years, around Australia and the world. Creation Creation was created by Rosemary Myers and Roslyn Oades and is performed by Jonathon Oxlade and Fleur Elise Noble.

Walking into the Heath Ledger Theatre we were greeted by a white backdrop of varying shaped cut outs. It reminded me of a blank canvas, ready to be painted with story. The electronic, upbeat music was described as “groovy” by my 12 year old brother.

One single circle of illumination showed a young boy, who used AUSLAN to communicate both the Welcome to Country and then the rest of the show.

The show was based on interviews that were conducted with people aged between 8 and 102 in the South Australian community. People were asked to share any burning question they may have about life. What happens at the end of life? How are babies made? What’s in a black hole? What will the earth be like in 1000 years? These were just some of the topics covered.

Throughout the performance we heard both the recorded questions and the responses. Oxlade and Noble brought the answers to life through movement, dance, humour, sound, light and with the use of props.

A white fluffy blanket turned into a prehistoric creature, balls to planets, and cardboard boxes into futuristic robots as the performers acted out the answers to life’s unanswered questions.

The artists were able to create an amusing, light-hearted and entertaining show while exploring deeper concepts for younger viewers. The performance managed to appeal to and connect with a range of ages, with everyone coming away with a slightly different perspective of life. With this in mind, I would tend to agree with the age recommendation of 8+ given the depth of the content covered.

My mum found the show interesting and said she hadn’t experienced anything quite like this performance. She was particularly touched by the part about the end of life.

At first, my brother and I weren’t altogether engaged with the show, however as it progressed and the questions of the end of life and what’s inside a black hole were raised, we became more interested. I also appreciated the different answers provided by the variety of people interviewed of varying ages and cultural backgrounds.

This isn’t your traditional style of theatre, so take an open mind, your curiosity, and the willingness to experience a different type of performance along with you.

Creation Creation continues at Awesome Festival until 1 October 2022.

Pictured top: Fleur Elise Noble and Jonathan Oxlade launch into space to find out about black holes. Photo: Thomas McCammon