BREAK BREAD
30/11/2021 - 18/12/2021
Production Details
Silo Theatre
THIS IS NOT A ZOOM CALL: SILO’S END OF YEAR OFFERING RISES TO THE DIGITAL THEATRE CHALLENGE
With much needed end-of-year hijinks providing an antidote to the lockdowns of 2021, Silo Theatre’s new commission BREAK BREAD collides historical moments of coming together with absurd modern rituals of gathering from November 30 – December 19. Unfolding as a livestream to gather us in a hilariously contemporary way, BREAK BREAD is theatre experienced from inside your home. What it isn’t is a Zoom call. We promise.
BREAK BREAD broadcasts the rambunctious hidden lives of four of the naughtiest theatre-makers in Aotearoa, as they attempt to perform a millenia-spanning epic of triumph over disaster. Streaming from the exhilarating pandemonium of their homes, watch as these irreverent individuals come together whilst under constant threat of the State of Things.
Playing heightened versions of themselves, four performers will bring their irrepressible modern clowning to a diabolical script of hyper-meta hilarity – unique, a little bit debaucherous, and ultimately joyful. From the invention of toast to masturbation and recreating *that* sex scene from James Cameron’s Titanic – and a truly hectic level of sourdough – BREAK BREAD is a blend of theatre and cinema that channels a Monty Python vibe and constantly surprises.
The characters represent the best and worst of where minds go while our bodies stay put inside, developing obsessions and ignoring realities. Helping us all find the levity in the situations humanity has survived together in the past, we are taken on a journey through the Exodus, the eruption of Mt Vesuvius, the Great Fires of London, and the sinking of the Titanic. A guarantee – there will not be one mention of the words Covid, virus, pandemic, vaccine, or lockdown.
Bringing a playful spirit to a project that has been evolving over two years in three different lockdowns, Alice Canton (OTHER [chinese], The Blind Date Project) and Freya Finch (Shabbat Shalom and Thank You For Coming, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead) have been with the production since its inception. Joining the BREAK BREAD cast to perform in this bold and boisterous presentation are Tom Clarke (Second Unit: What We Do In The Shadows, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead) and Scotty Cotter (Mauri Tau, The Sounds).
Behind the scenes, a collection of our most original creative minds have assembled, including Leon Wadham (Giddy, Lord of the Rings (Amazon series)), Jarod Rawiri (The Brokenwood Mysteries, Mean Mums), Sophie Roberts (Director of The Wolves, Hir, Peter and the Wolf, Boys Will Be Boys) and Jason Te Kare (Cellfish, Every Brilliant Thing). Developed from conversations of what it meant to literally break bread, the pandemic intervened to disrupt their plans of sharing a communal meal together at the theatre, with audiences. While we simultaneously became a nation of baking experts, the collective experience of Covid-19 took the creative team back to the drawing board, sparking ideas about shared human traumas from the past and filtering these through a genuinely comedic lens.
As the arts sector continues to be limited by theatres being closed in Tāmaki Makaurau, Artistic Director Sophie Roberts sees the chance to be innovative now by presenting BREAK BREAD as an opportunity that embraces the creativity of the current moment. “We’re committed to creating something that is inherently theatrical and an active experience for audiences. By merging the digital and analogue, we want to take the best of both worlds – the responsiveness and beautiful chaos of theatre, with the reach and accessibility a digital work affords us. We are meeting this challenge with a sense of adventure, excited by the possibility of jumping into the unknown, writing our own rules and bringing people something inventive.”
BREAK BREAD will be ticketed and available worldwide via silotheatre.co.nz from November 29 – December 19, streaming at 7.30pm & 8.30pm daily, with added shows at 4pm on Sundays (NZT). An original encounter at home on your screens, BREAK BREAD can be enjoyed from a computer, laptop or smart television screen in your bubble. For more information about access, visit silotheatre.co.nz.
BREAK BREAD
A new Silo commission
Streaming online at silotheatre.co.nz
Available via silotheatre.co.nz
November 30 – December 19
Daily sessions 7.30pm and 8.30pm (with added shows at 4pm on Sundays)
$15 unwaged and $25 waged per person
$65 per bubble (group of 4+)
Tickets on sale via silotheatre.co.nz
Content warnings: Recommended for mature audiences.
Contains explicit sexual references, adult themes and language.
CREDITS:
Written by Alice Canton, Freya Finch and Leon Wadham, with Jarod Rawiri
With contributions from Sophie Roberts and Jason Te Kare
Alice – Alice Canton
Tom – Tom Clarke
Freya – Freya Finch
Scotty – Scotty Cotter
Flatmate – Batanai Mashingaidze
Courier – Jason Te Kare
Woman in park – Jessica Smith
Director: Sophie Roberts
Producer: Jessica Smith
Assistant Director: Jason Te Kare
Dramaturgy: Sophie Roberts and Leon Wadham
Production Design: Christopher Stratton
Sound and Lighting Design: Sean Lynch
Composition: Sean Lynch
Set and Props Assistant: Jessica Horan
Props Maker: Virginia Frankovich
Editor: Patrick Roberts
Production Coordinator: Maddy Powell
Film Production and Technical Manager: Roydon Christensen
Film Consultant: Joe Jowitt
Sound Mix: Andrew McDowall
Production Manager: Gabriel Ford
Publicity: Elephant Publicity
Break Bread was commissioned by Silo Theatre Trust in 2019 and has received funding and investment support from Creative New Zealand, Auckland Council, The Chisholm Whitney Family Charitable Trust and Silo Theatre Patron Donors.
Based on an original concept by Sophie Roberts and Jessica Smith. Written by Alice Canton, Freya Finch, Leon Wadham and Jarod Rawiri with development, writing and production contributions from Sophie Roberts, Jason Te Kare and Ahi Karunaharan.
Break Bread was created, filmed and edited in central Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland, under Alert Level 3 Covid restrictions during the global pandemic. The production premiere was on November 30, 2021 via silotheatre.co.nz
Silo Theatre respectfully acknowledges Mana Whenua, Ngati Whātua Ōrākei.
Silo Theatre proudly acknowledges the support of their Principal Partner Milford Asset Management, and major funding partners Creative New Zealand, Foundation North and Auckland Council.
Webcast , Theatre ,
1 hr 10 min
Downright ridiculous whilst also being human, relatable and genuine
Review by Anna Persson 02nd Dec 2021
My laptop sits in pride of place at my desk, surrounded by a bowl of flour, a glass of water, a damp tea towel, candle and some matches. I have no idea what to expect or why these items may be essential to tonight’s viewing but I’m eagerly going along with it. I close the curtain that separates my small studio nook from my bedroom, dim the lights and enter the space of my own private theatre.
Unlike most theatres, there are no other audience members, at least none that I can see. As the countdown begins, I feel not only a curiosity about those who may also be watching, but a kinship with the multitudes of theatre-goers also sitting down, in the comfort (or discomfort) of their own make-shift theatres to partake in the absolute treat that is Break Bread.
We are brought into the world of Break Bread with (much like The Rocky Horror Picture Show) a pair of red lips, these ones belonging to performer, Tom Clarke, who lyrically drops a smörgåsbord of bread varieties: “Bagel, arepa, ciabatta, croissant, focaccia, grissini, debatably scones, damper, rēwena, knäckerbröd rye, a little catholic cracker (that’s the body of christ)…Tonight is the night, get together with your people, with yourself, with your friends, for tonight we celebrate the thing that binds us togetheeeeerrrrr.”
As the sun sets on Pōneke, I am taken to Tāmaki Makaurau and into the lives (and loungerooms) of four young adults who are all deep in the throes of lockdown – and coping in very different ways.
We meet our cast, suited and formal, sitting side by side, yet in reality, alone and at tables in their individual houses. They introduce themselves and do a quick debrief on how they’ve been spending their lockdowns, much in the awkward-style of a professional zoom call, pretending everything is great, yet with cracks that are beginning to show.
Alice (Canton) has picked up a job on the side, consulting and, she jokes, putting her B Com to good use. She’s started baking bread to take her mind off work and the myriad of stresses it brings, experimenting with different proof times.
Freya (Finch) has got really into the Titanic, developing a particular obsession with unsung hero, Charles Joughin, a baker who trod water for two hours, and was the last person to be on the RMS Titanic during its sinking.
Scotty (Cotter) has been living by himself in the Waitākere, reconnecting with nature and trying to live off the grid as he seeks to find the joy in every humbling moment.
Tom (Clarke) on the other hand, and with a cringely hilarious brutal honesty, confesses to struggling, staying in bed until the press conference, then climbing back in, masturbating and eating toast for dinner.
These ‘check-ins’ set the tone for Break Bread and throughout the piece, we see the depth, expansion and falsities behind these introductions as we learn more about their respective lockdowns through a series of memorable and diverse individual scenes, paired with impressive group skits.
All up, Break Bread knocks it out of the park with every element of the production worthy of note. The cast are incredibly talented and the challenge of bringing a theatrical production to life in a home you’ve been in for the last few months is met with absolute triumph. They shine in the group scenes displaying obvious chemistry, despite their physical separation. Individually, they skilfully toe lines between grounded, heartfelt realism and straight-up absurd silliness.
With top-notch writing from Alice Canton, Leon Wadham, Freya Finch and Jarod Rawiri, Break Bread explores lockdown character tropes in a refreshingly honest, hilarious and yet, relatable way. Have we not all boarded the fermentation bandwagon, obsessed over Titanic (this one hit home for me) and attempted to better ourselves whilst, not having showered for four days, avoiding our flatmates and wondering why we’re still getting work calls AT A TIME LIKE THIS?
Break Bread has a high-production value, with the constraints of an online theatre production allowing the direction of Sophie Roberts and Jason Te Kare alongside the editing by Patrick Roberts to shine. It is very well shot, with aesthetically pleasing cinematography without feeling too cinematic or removing the viewer from the ‘realness’ or theatrics of it.
There is a great care taken in the elements of sound and lighting design, with Sean Lynch artfully setting and aiding scenes. A particular highlight is the prologue, featuring moving and humbling projections as the cast celebrate, commiserate and reflect on their, and our humanness. The talent and creativity in Break Bread is immense, right down to the props – particularly during the Titanic scenes which are a personal favourite (having once, myself, re-enacted the sinking of the Titanic with a sandwich and a water bottle in a suburban food court).
Another highlight is the immense range of characters that Tom Clarke brings to the table with a memorable trove of accents, though all cast members shine in their individual scenes and vignettes as well as together, as a whole. One stand-out is a group scene comprised of cut screen confessionals involving the eruption of Mt Vesuvius and its unsuspecting citizens being frozen in time and in some rather compromising positions.
We are so swept up into the worlds of these characters and their respective lockdowns that the line between reality and fiction blurs. Surprise interactions featuring flatmates ranting, or couriers having the wrong address reminding us of the nature of being a professional theatre-maker in this age and the ways in which we adapt and make do.
BREAK BREAD simultaneously creates and breaks illusions, allowing voyeuristic glimpses into lives that aren’t too far removed from our own. It manages to be downright ridiculous whilst also being human, relatable and genuine. The entire production is incredibly polished, and quite frankly, impressive. It ranks highly as one of the most well-rounded pieces of New Zealand theatre I’ve seen – a testament to the creativity of everyone involved.
Break Bread is unlike anything I’ve seen before – a true must see.
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