OBSERVER: Silence
Subverse Theatre presents Silence by British playwright Moira Buffini from July 3-18 at the Brunswick Mechanics’ Institute.
Rarely performed in Australia, Silence is a dark comedy about survival, love and the roles that we are expected to play.
Viking raids threaten a kingdom already on the brink of collapse. A paranoid King Ethelred refuses to leave his bed. A disgraced Ymma of Normandy and Silence of Cumbria are forced to marry. What begins as a punishment quickly shifts into something hopeful after a life- changing revelation on their wedding night. But events conspire to send them fleeing across a country sliding into chaos, accompanied by a priest clinging to faith, a soldier searching for purpose, and a servant longing for escape.
Director and producer Freya Patience says “I spent over a year searching for a play that made me feel moved enough to share with others, and very few have affected me the way Silence did. It made me laugh, cry, think, and completely fall in love with theatre again. It’s epic, intimate, strange, romantic and deeply compassionate.
“I genuinely believe it’s one of the most beautiful and underappreciated plays Melbourne audiences have the chance to see this year.”
Performance Details: July 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11 at 7pm
Venue: Brunswick Mechanics’ Institute, 270 Sydney Rd., Brunswick
Tickets: events.humanitix.com/silence-a-play
Cheryl Threadgold

