Here, Where We’ve Always Been


Women’s Circus


Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall


November 24, 2008


The Women’s Circus are celebrating an important historical milestone with their latest production. Marking one hundred years since most women were granted the right to vote in Victoria, Here offers a glimpse into the struggles of the past, as well an argument for continuing the fight into the future.

Set in a 19th century laundry where legions of women pound, scrub and sweat for minimal wages in the steaming suds, director Nadja Kostich illuminates the difficult working conditions of women in that era. The atmosphere of the laundry is cleverly evoked by the huge group of performers who fill the space with heaving, repetitive movement and sounds.

From the drudgery emerges a sense of sisterhood, as the somewhat fractured narrative unfolds to tell real and imagined stories of women and women’s suffrage in this state. The performers climb on and support each other physically while a historical voice berates these “he-women” who would “de-sex”...

Related Posts

  1. Theater Review: Last Life at The Brick

Comments

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.