The regional and the global

Energy
By Stefo Nantsou
Zeal Theatre
Reviewed by Frank Razmovki.

In the comfortable and informal surrounds of the Newcastle Leagues Club, Zeal Theatre premiered Energy, a documentary-style show about the mining and energy industries of the Hunter region and green movement concerns about pollution and global warming.

A doco-drama in a Leagues Club? About coal mining? One character says in the play, “How ya gonna turn that into a bloody doco?” The Zeal answer is good acting, good music and good theatre.

Writer/director Stefo Nantsou cleverly utilises the convention of an imagined documentary team “filming” events and interviews a broad range of interesting characters in an array of entertaining situations: an old miner takes the crew on a drive around what was once a thriving mining community; Lord Mayor Maree Callaghan is convincing the local Council to take on Sydney's polluting industries; the energy minister takes a Japanese delegation through the Newcastle steelworks; a proud tour guide cruises around Eraring Power Station. These are just some of many people Nantsou interviewed during the writing of the play, who appear in this fascinating production.

The four multi-skilled Zeal actors, Louise Chapman, Rob Dilley, Meg Dunn and Stefo Nantsou, move easily from one characterisation to the next with little or no make-up and costume change, play music behind scenes they are not in, and skilfully “mime” the imagined doco crew. Songs are incorporated as well, and there is no shortage of comedy. We see CFMEU president Stan Sharkey tactfully editing his own swearing, his secretary abuses the crew for not wanting to interview her, and the misunderstandings of a miner and a Greenpeace worker who meet while being separately interviewed in a crowded pub.

The subject matter of Energy relates the regional to the global. While many TV docos focus on the “problems” of global warming, few give voice to the average working person's struggle to survive, to pay the bills, to find and keep a job. Energy not only gives all sides to the situation, but it presents these views in a warm, informal and entertaining way rather than coldly dealing with scientific facts and figures.

Energy is a great show about regional Australia. The tight 50-minute piece could easily be expanded to include more material, songs and interesting characters. The script is certainly strong enough to become a radio play or a “real” television documentary.

Zeal Theatre intend touring Energy around Australia after a two week tour of New Zealand in mid June. Don't miss this entertaining and thought-provoking show by one of Australia's most dedicated community theatre companies.

This article was posted on the Green Left Weekly Home Page.
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