James Berlyn’s intriguing participatory theatre work ‘Crash Course’ returns this week with a second outing at the Independent Theatre Festival at the Subiaco Arts Centre.
‘Crash Course’ is a participatory theatre experience that takes the form of an emersive language class.
Each session twenty four members of the audience will attempt to re-learn a language they have lost after an undisclosed trauma.
In the production, the performer and the audience will speak Winfein, a fully functioning language that Berlyn created especially for the show. After seeing the show last year David Zampatti from The West Australian even utilised the made up language in his review saying; “it was immensely thought provoking, and, above all, it was very, very kweiloo.”
Last year Berlyn spoke to OUTinPerth ahead of the show’s opening and joked about his own ability to pick up a new language.
The former dancer jokeed that he knew two languages, a little bit of bad Spanish he picked up when he lived in the country for a year, he also professed to be fluent in IKEA instructions.
“I wanted to create a genuine opportunity for the audience to have an experience with having no clues,” said Berlyn. In designing the show’s language and alphabet Berlyn said they deliberately chose sound and symbols that weren’t similar to what we known in English.
Audiences that missed out on the show last year now have a second chance to catch it at the Independent Theatre Festival at the Subicao Arts Centre,
‘Crash Course’ is playing from this Wednesday April 2nd through to Saturday April 12th.
