Teens show love over time
Cross My Heart is unique play
TAKE a step back in time, then to the present and fast-forward to the future in a unique performance exploring love and relationships.
After months of preparation, a group of talented teens from the Empire Youth Arts Senior IMPACT Ensemble will bring their creation called Cross My Heart to the stage.
Producer Jeanette Wedmaier said the teens had been inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
“The students looked at that text and tore it all apart and tried to find what was relevant to them, what was relevant to today’s world and put it all back together again,” Ms Wedmaier said.
“They focused on the characters of the four lovers in Midsummer Night’s Dream and they have split that across three different timelines - so you have got the Shakespearean timeline, a contemporary timeline at a party and then a futuristic
timeline.”
Ms Wedmaier said the theme was that love was always different, but always the same.
“The IMPACT ensemble is our elite program for developing young artists. It is an audition-based program,” she said.
“What they do is they work intensively over six months to create a unique piece of youth theatre that is
for, with and by young artists.
“They come up with some absolute insight that anyone can relate to and anyone can take away and while it is coming from a youth perspective, it doesn’t necessarily only relate to young people.”
Mark Mackenzie, 18, has been involved in the ensemble for the past four years and said the best part
about it was working with other young creatives.
“All the members of the cast are actors but we have also contributed throughout the process and the writing process,” he said.
“I think the best part of youth theatre is the collaboration that you get to work with other young creatives and I think with such a diverse group people’s own experiences really come out in the writing.”
Mark said it was a unique show and they were doing something on stage that had not been done before.
The show will be performed in the Armitage Centre - Heritage Bank Auditorium today and tomorrow at 7.30pm. For tickets got to empiretheatre.com.au or call 1300 655 299.