Film Review Of The Film 'The Village' By Todd Macdonald

The Village is a Verbatim theatre production staged by La Boite Theatre Company, directed by Todd MacDonald. The Village explores the true experiences of five refugees and a second-hand re-telling of a woman’s parents experience of fleeing from their country of origin. Showcasing the “cultural diversity of Australia” and honouring the “courage, strength and determination” of the performers (La Boite Theatre Company, 2017), La Boite confronts this prevalent subject in a manner that engages the audience effectively through the usage of elements of drama, Verbatim conventions and design principles. Using a combination of these elements, conventions and principles, the show aims to convey a dramatic meaning of feeling a sense of gratitude for
Each actor was provided with their own space to establish into a certain location or memento a part of their journey. Silva’s set design was used to symbolise an Egyptian market, or souk and incorporated other significant symbols that represented a part of his identity, such as the LGBT+ pride flag. The significance of Silva integrating personal symbols as a part of his scene plays into the dramatic meaning of gratitude for freedom in a country like Australia. Silva was unable to feel as though he could embrace his identity in his country of origin, however, after seeking refuge in Australia, he is welcomed to express himself in a manner where he is free from persecution or discrimination. Silva’s story featured conventions of Verbatim theatre, namely, dialogue that expressed, in detail, his own firsthand experiences in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and his journey to reaching Australia as a means for a new life. Furthermore, a combination of involving the audience directly and dramatization of action was utilised. An example of this combination of conventions was when Silva took on the role of a persistent salesperson, in the souk, who somewhat harassed customers by flinging scarves in their faces to convince them to purchase their products. Silva selected an audience member to fling scarf products at and addressed them aggressively in the local language to give that specific audience member an insight into his perspective as a customer. Similarly, to all the performers within this production, Silva had a consistent presence by directing the audience’s focus entirely on him. He attracted audience attention by commencing the scene with a humorous tone, but slowly transformed the overall mood to sombre as he detailed his encounters