‘Reclaim the Crone’ // Theatre Works
‘Reclaim the Crone’ was explorative.
‘Reclaim the Crone’ by Gabriella Leah New seeks to reclaim the Wise old Woman archetype within the patriarchal domain. It is a brilliant exploration into the perceptions of women throughout history and culture and challenges the notion that aging is to be feared. Reclaim the Crone is carried by an ensemble of four. It is an improvised performance and includes elements of improvisation, butoh, poetry and short bursts of film. It is truly one of the best improvised performances this year and certainly one which creates dialogue about an important topic of conversation. Reclaim the Crone argues that women should celebrate getting old. A large focus of Reclaim the Crone is Indigenous Australian culture, specifically the status of women in Indigenous social structures, Elders are leaders in the community and are amongst the most visible in society. The discussion of this topic was brilliantly incorporated into the Welcome to Country which was a unique way of making it feel part of the performance instead of a standalone.
The primary roles, the three crones were portrayed by three women actors who were present for the majority of the performance, these performers were director Gabrielle Leah New, Karen Berger and Helen Smith. As a supporting role, Frank van de Ven portrayed the ‘Patriachy’. New, Berger and Smith all gave a multidimensional performance and superb effort which was a brilliant treat for the audience. Their animated facial expressions and expressive movement are characteristics of butoh, though they gave ‘Reclaim the Crone’ a superb standard of acting as by incorporating these two elements into ‘Reclaim the Crone’, the performance stood out.
The acting in this performance is brilliant, especially considering that all four of the actors were placed in very challenging and uncomfortable-looking positions and movements throughout. All four were exceptional in their roles for the one-hour duration of the performance. ‘Reclaim the Crone’ was certainly very physically demanding on the body and each of the three Crones kept their physicality throughout. At one point the ‘Patriarchy’ is dragged off the stage by the three ‘Crones’, his hands re folded across his chest and it seems his head is the only thing that comes in contact with the ground, Van de Ven does not flinch as he is carried off which must have taken some stamina.
New certainly did an incredible job in her role of director. Her workmanship shows the intimate intercession between an actor and a director. Nevertheless, it is clear that this performance is a guided improvisation, and the collaboration of the ensemble is evident throughout. The performance does not follow a narrative and contains some scenes with no dialogue. This performance was a sensory smorgasbord with a variety of audiovisual delights that the audience engaged. I did find times when I was confused by the message of some parts of the performance and felt that the communication of intention could have been expressed clearer.
The costume design evoked our invisibility of older women and the need for them to become visible. We were introduced to our three-lead ensemble wearing heavy black coats over red dresses. The Crones then remove the coats to reveal the loud, red handmade dresses. There were also handmade lace sleep dresses and linen shawls which both enhanced the aesthetic of the performance and emphasised its closeness to nature. One particularly nice coat was placed directly in front of me, rather tantalising as a coat enthusiast as I picked it up and checked out how well my brooch would go with it.
How many older women do we know who have had to hide their age to survive? If it is not tweaking one’s resume, its hours of painful surgeries or bottles of expensive creams. Companies sell women the promise of anti-aging and eternal youth, soap operas showcase the melodramatic suffering of getting old. Despite this, science has enabled us to live ten years longer than we were fifty years ago and the pension age is ever increasing. Aging is a fleeting concept, with changing targets each year, therefore it seems almost unnecessary that it is so greatly stigmatised in our culture. This is certainly a performance which speaks to the challenges of the women of our time and its themes and contents appeal primarily to this audience. Women of all ages should see ‘Reclaim the Crone’ as its themes are universal of the female experience. Audience members will be blown away by the butoh, acting, physicality and sensory elements of ‘Reclaim the Crone’ and it is amongst the must-see shows of this year.
‘Reclaim the Crone’ is playing at Theatre Works until July 27, 2024. For more information visit their website.
