Where do you end, and where does everything else begin?
That is one of the nebulous topics considered by Emma Mary Hall’s experimental theatre work World Problems, which will be presented at the Potato Shed for two shows on Wednesday, June 5.
The one-woman show, directed by Cassandra Fumi and starring Carly Sheppard, begins with a woman experiencing her childhood memories, but soon transforms into something much more.
Perspectives change, fact blurs into fiction and the past hurtles toward the future.
Performing such a complex work, one that is by turns comical and terrifying, has been a unique experience for Sheppard.
“Technically, this job has been probably the hardest I’ve ever done… definitely the most challenging,” she said.
“If I had my time again I would definitely do things differently. It’s the type of show where you can’t really know what it’s going to be until you’re already doing it.
“But (in terms of) my skills and my ability to interpret, I’ve learnt so much on this. It’s been an incredible opportunity to grow as a performer.
“This is definitely a journey of memory, of trying to understand who we have been and who we’re going to be together. But it more asks questions rather than taking anyone on a specific journey.
“It’s very complex and difficult to hold on to, but it’s the type of thing that will stay with you for weeks after you’ve seen it.”
World Problems is one of the works on the VCE Drama playlist, which Sheppard is conscious of in every performance.
“The fact that it’s an education show has really leant into our purpose in doing it for young people, because they’re the ones that are inheriting the earth and the planet and the future that we’re travelling headlong into,” she said.
“They are the ones that have to carry that baton next. And so the responsibility that we’ve had in making a work that is respectful to their intellect has been just such a wonderful experience.”
