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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Created by ex-parole officer and performance maker James Brennan and the acclaimed David Woods of the UK's Ridiculusmus. How and when should people be forgiven for their crimes? Who gets to decide? What happens if they get it wrong? The Chat brings ex- offenders, parole officers, criminologists and academics together with some of Australia's wildest performance makers to come to grips with these questions.' (Source: La Boite Theatre Company website)
Production Details
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Premiered at the La Boite Studio as part of the La Boite Indie season, 4 -14 November 2015.
Designer: Alex Davis.
Dramaturg: Ashley Dyer.
Presented at Carriageworks as part of the Sydney Festival, 16 - 20 January 2019.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Putting Audiences, as Well as Actors, in the Hot Seat
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 10 August 2016;
— Review of The Chat 2015 single work drama'As the ethics of punishment are debated in mainstream media, statistics, images and unanswerable questions circulate. Post sentence detention of terrorists and the fate of Indigenous children in detention are just two of the issues Australia is currently grappling with.'
'When these discussions play out in a theatre, different questions are raised. The Chat, which recently completed its Melbourne season, shows the ways theatre can enrich the discourse around issues relating to the criminal justice system. It focuses on the liminal space of parole, at the edge of freedom and prison, where a prisoner’s connections to society – so brutally damaged during incarceration – can begin to repair. ...'
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Acts of Justice
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 23 July 2016; (p. 12)
— Review of The Chat 2015 single work drama 'Consider when you last heard something friendly about the parole system. Take your time. You'll need it. Parole only ever enjoys attention when someone commits a horrific crime while ostensibly under the eye of its board. For such a pillar of our criminal justice system, the actual workings of parole are unknown to most of us. ...' -
Ex-cons Turned Actors Perform the True Trauma of Prison
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , July 2016; 'Former prisoners play parole officers and actors play prisoners in a new production called 'The Chat'. But for those involved, it's a lot more than theatre; it's a rare chance to relate the traumatic experience of prison and the inescapable feeling of isolation it breeds. ...' -
Raw and Order in Cutting Edge Mix
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 12 November 2015; (p. 52)
— Review of The Chat 2015 single work drama
-
Raw and Order in Cutting Edge Mix
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 12 November 2015; (p. 52)
— Review of The Chat 2015 single work drama -
Acts of Justice
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 23 July 2016; (p. 12)
— Review of The Chat 2015 single work drama 'Consider when you last heard something friendly about the parole system. Take your time. You'll need it. Parole only ever enjoys attention when someone commits a horrific crime while ostensibly under the eye of its board. For such a pillar of our criminal justice system, the actual workings of parole are unknown to most of us. ...' -
Putting Audiences, as Well as Actors, in the Hot Seat
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 10 August 2016;
— Review of The Chat 2015 single work drama'As the ethics of punishment are debated in mainstream media, statistics, images and unanswerable questions circulate. Post sentence detention of terrorists and the fate of Indigenous children in detention are just two of the issues Australia is currently grappling with.'
'When these discussions play out in a theatre, different questions are raised. The Chat, which recently completed its Melbourne season, shows the ways theatre can enrich the discourse around issues relating to the criminal justice system. It focuses on the liminal space of parole, at the edge of freedom and prison, where a prisoner’s connections to society – so brutally damaged during incarceration – can begin to repair. ...'
-
Ex-cons Turned Actors Perform the True Trauma of Prison
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , July 2016; 'Former prisoners play parole officers and actors play prisoners in a new production called 'The Chat'. But for those involved, it's a lot more than theatre; it's a rare chance to relate the traumatic experience of prison and the inescapable feeling of isolation it breeds. ...'
