By Luke Voogt
Geelong’s newest “play within a play within a play”, Behind: Behind the Arras, will open at Ceres for Mother’s Day Sunday.
The play is the first full-length script that Newtown director Ben Mitchell has written.
“It was a bit mind-bending trying to write it,” he told the Indy Tuesday. “It’s something I haven’t seen before.”
Ben started acting 15 years ago at 20 but moved into directing during the past five years.
“It’s quite intense,” he said. “When you’re directing you’re suddenly worrying about every character.”
For his first script Ben turned to the work of his father, Geelong playwright Dennis Mitchell.
Dennis wrote Behind the Arras in 1988, which itself takes a funny look at the making of a play.
Behind: Behind the Arras is comedic insight into the trials and tribulations of a theatre company as they attempt to put together Dennis’s play.
Director Rose confronts an ever-increasing list of issues as she battles to get her theatre troupe’s production ready for opening night.
“They’ve all got their day jobs and their own lives and they come together each night for the rehearsals,” Ben said.
The play features the local acting talents of Miriam Pohlenz, Melissa and Rose Musselwhite, Ellie Gardner, Jocelyn Mackay, Kris Smythe, Michael Leigh, Ben Crowley, Jonathon Gardner and Greg Chadwick.
Behind: Behind the Arras runs at Ceres Temperance Hall until 28 May.
