By Natalee Kerr
Black slime, voice modulators and smoke machines are set to take over Geelong’s theatre scene when a “dark and creepy” sci-fi thriller arrives next month.
Described as a combination between Stranger Things and Twin Peaks, The Irresistible follows the relationship between a family after two sisters experience a “supernatural” encounter.
Told through a series of intertwining stories, actress Adriane Daff said the play is “open” to different interpretations.
“We leave some gaps for people to fill in the blanks. There’s space for people to be really active, pull the pieces together and crack the mystery,” she said.
“The story isn’t linear in some parts and we are constantly changing characters so it’s a ride for the audience.”
The “unique” two-person show sees Daff and fellow actor Tim Watts perform more than 15 characters using microphones to modulate their voices.
“It’s such a cool tool to play with,” Daff said.
“The minute you try improvising with a different voice it changes the game – you can very quickly morph into characters and say things that you wouldn’t normally say.”
Daff, who also co-wrote the production alongside Watts and director Zoe Pepper, said using the voice tool was “incredibly liberating”.
“We wanted to push ourselves to create something that was quite different and we really pushed the voice manipulation to the furthest point we could,” she said.
“The show requires an incredible amount of focus, you can’t have a moment blanking out, you’ve got to be present the entire time.”
The 35-year-old, who has been acting for more than a decade, said the production is one of her favourite shows she has “ever” done.
“This has definitely been a show that has pushed me to do things I hadn’t done before,” she said.
“Sometimes I’ll play two characters at the same time and have this conversation with myself, it’s strange but really enjoyable.
“I love playing so many characters so much now that it’s a challenge going back to other shows where I play just one.”
The Sydney-based theatre-maker said she was “super excited” to perform three shows at Geelong Arts Centre from 7 to 9 November.
“It’s so much fun to bring it to new people that haven’t seen it before,” she said.
Hearing the audience’s thoughts and perspectives following the performances is something Gaff said she was looking forward to.
“It’s a very satisfying thing to be able to speak with people after the show,” she said.
“The audience really bring that final piece of the puzzle.”
