Waiter! There's a fly-on-the-wall stage show at IPAC
That disastrous meal you had or witnessed? One of the waiters just might have been taking notes ...
When it comes to people-watching – and sometimes people-tolerating – few people have put a spin on it like Lachlan Grogan. Not on the Illawarra stage scene, at least.
His new show, Service, is the latest bound for the boards in MerrigongX's annual artist program, and it promises to lift the lid on the simmering saucepan that is the hospitality industry, those who thrive and somehow survive in it – and a slew (a stew?) of bad and odd customer behaviour. And the whole pot of gumbo is wordless and relies on dance for expression.
As playwright, Lachlan has mined his own experiences for the script. Did he have any particular anecdotes of horror and/or humour that stood out?
"How long have you got?" he says. "I’ve had people cry into a paper bag, watch pigeons be killed in front of my eyes, buckets of hot soapy water fly on top of customer’s heads… screaming matches, happy tears, good dates and bad dates and dates that were neither good nor bad but something even more sinister and middling.
"Sometimes you see them happen less than a metre away from each other! I think the biggest horror I can see from the show is that when I started working on it, I had hair and now I am bald – prolonged stress and genetics will get you every time."
Customers feasting on the foibles of Lachlan's hospo memories are free to reserve a spot, show up – and pay what they feel the performance is worth.
"I think the triumph of the 'pay what you feel' model is the removal of a rigid barrier for those experiencing current financial hardship to have access to theatre and invites a genuine personal reflection on the value of art and the labour involved," Lachlan says.
"What is the value of theatre if it is not seen? Personally, I cannot wait to use it to rank my friends from highest to lowest contribution and post the list on social media like MySpace."
As for the dialogue-free nature of Service, Lachlan has found it is easier to make inferences into what a movement represents.
"On top of that, the physicality and momentum the cast is required to keep up to convey all these feelings with just their body also lends itself so naturally to the physical labour involved in hospitality.
"The challenge then is to be incredibly clear on the motivation behind the movement and what you are trying to articulate and leaving the rest to the audience to make their decision."
Lachlan graduated from Wollongong High School for Performing Arts, where he originally enrolled simply for the academic side.
"Over my time at the school, I fell in love with theatre and voice. I didn’t start dance training until after high school but performed in a lot of musical theatre and learnt that way until I went to fulltime.
"High school is high school, and every institution will have their highs and lows but being in a cohort with so many likeminded peers and some invested and knowledgeable teachers was massively formative. Honestly, if you wanted to know what it was like, just watch Glee."
Lachlan's recent stage credits include Romeo and Juliet (ensemble, with the Australian Ballet), A Chorus Line and Legally Blonde.
MerrigongX focuses on supporting artists to take creative risks, providing independent artists with essential financial, technical, marketing and artistic resources.
Service will be served in IPAC's Bruce Gordon Theatre, on September 24, 25 and 26, starting at 7.30pm. Recommended for ages 12-plus.
