The Fishbowl by Matthew Barker
Directed by Steph Daughtry
Review by That Guy in The Foyer, John Doherty
★★★★
Presented by Steph Daughtry and Matthew Barker
The Studio, Holden Street Theatres
March 7-12 6pm, March 12 12.30pm, March 14-19 7.30pm
“How does a person with Dementia experience the world? How can we better connect with people in the often challenging environment of aged care?” These are heavy, pertinent questions, indeed.
The Fishbowl is arguably one of the most important productions I have attended in the last few years, hence I revisited it having seen in during the ’22 Fringe. On that occasion, this remarkable example of “immersive theatre” was staged at The Breakout at The Mill when it was on Angus Street. The show was awarded Winner of the 2022 BankSA Award for Best Theatre and Physical Theatre and the Holden Street Theatre Award at the Adelaide Fringe.
The Fishbowl opens with Matthew Barker and Evie Leonard moving energetically around the performance space speaking a tightly written narrative affording us insight into the world of Dementia. Both gripping and confronting, this narration, delivered in a light tone, is quite disconcerting. It’s a bit like a patient who doesn’t understand being spoken to with “that tone” – very effective. A particularly vivid piece of writing explains how Dementia affects the brain in such a way as to make it completely understandable- and it’s rather terrifying! Barker and Leonard quickly shift between the informative narrative and a range of characters so well portrayed it’s heartbreaking. Barker’s experience in the aged care space is acutely evident in both the writing and the performance. He shifts seamlessly between lecture mode, carer and patient. Leonard is similarly adept in her portrayal and, in one notable scene, she establishes a beautifully compassionate relationship as a carer with a severely behaviour challenged patient portrayed with great insight by Barker. It’s extraordinary! There’s miscommunication, confusion, heartbreak and compassion in abundance, all created by Barker in consultation with carers, family and a particular aged care institution. I found the point where we are invited into the cognitive dissonance and sensory overload frequently experienced by those afflicted by the condition to be a very effective device. Similarly, a sing-along of the type used in aged care as stimulus also provided insight into this world kept from our sight. The Fishbowl, intentionally or otherwise, hints at Growtowski’s Poor Theatre- it’s set is sparse- two chairs, frame and a sheet used as a projection screen -and the audience is in the round, rare these days. And the further we venture into the narrative, the more visceral the experience becomes; yet at times it’s all simultaneously entertaining!
I may be wrong here, but the show seemed shorter this year, and while the seating and set on The Studio stage worked well, I found the space at The Mill more conducive to the immersive experience. The Mill was a tighter, more claustrophobic space which lent itself well to The Fishbowl.
As I mentioned, this is an important show and one exemplifying one of the roles of theatre in our community- it holds that mirror up and says, “Look! This is what’s happening!”
Go! See it!