Vigilant NZ Fringe fans will notice subtle differences in the promotional blurbs for Ruckus Theatre’s Antarctic Endeavours in the printed programme guide, on the Fringe Website and in the Production Details on Theatreview (see: “How ‘Antarctic Endeavours’ came to be is a very interesting story”). It amplifies the Director’s Note in the printed programme – a rare thing in itself, this Fringe (and unique in that this one doesn’t include the name of the show)!

With Registrations closing in October and promo copy deadlines well before year’s end, it is inevitable things will change and some shows will be cancelled (although fewer than usual this year, I think). But for these recent Theatre graduates from Te Herenga Waka: Victoria University of Wellington, obstacles generated creative energy:

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, the original co-director and playwright of Antarctic Endeavours had to drop out of the production,” the story goes, “leaving a cast and crew with no script but lots of ambition to make a new Fringe show. The challenge was? We only had 2 months to make the whole thing … The only thing that stayed true to the original was the name of the show, Antarctic Endeavours.” As risk-takers they exemplify true entrepreneurs, more so than the self-styled ‘entrepreneur’ in the play.

The devised result – co-written by Ava O’Brien and Alex Quinn, and directed by Peggie Barnes – is billed as an absurdist play which “crosses boundaries of time and reality, and explores the inner minds of those who cannot hide from the audience.”

The premise is that newlyweds Tom and Suzanne Denborough (Ethan Cranefield and Hellena Faasili), who were married in 1949, are looking for a house on the outskirts of Antarctica. Their search is facilitated by the Narrator (Joshua Hughes), who has wordlessly got us all to welcome them to the stage with applause. Given their budget is £200, questions arise as to how much actual house they can have.

It emerges that Tom loves speed reading while Suzanne loves hunting and wants to kill a Yeti. Later it transpires they have been together for 81 years. Although their quest seems to take them back to London, maybe it’s the cryonic nature of Antarctica that has kept them so young and sprightly.

The more authoritarian the Narrator becomes, the more Tom and Suzanne unite as a couple while touching on many of the differences individuals attempting to be together encounter. No matter how absurd their circumstances become, Cranefield and Faasili commit whole-heartedly to the whimsical truth of it all, thus convincing us to take them seriously.

When the Narrator starts wielding what he believes to be his power, the meta-theatrics of story creation come to the fore. He castigates them for not knowing their lines, intimidating Tom in particular, and renders their leaving impossible. He tries to get them to put on a play, claiming he is its writer and they have to do exactly as he says. Suzanne is bewildered to discover she has led a life she didn’t know she had …

The Narrator’s demands take the form of Improv provocations, demanding scenarios ‘in the style of’ … Then out of left field (i.e. from downstage right) Romeo (Lincoln Swinerd) arrives in 16^th century garb, keen to know what’s he has become part of. This allows for a recap of the quest for a house and gets them back to Antarctica. Referring back to Suzanne’s desire to kill a Yeti will also prove to be a dramaturgical plus.

Romeo’s expertise on the nature of ‘love’ comes into the mix, as does stage combat between the three males – and his vial of poison has its dramatic effect. All four actors command our willing suspension of disbelief and compel our amused acceptance.

The ‘resolution’ phase of this well-structured play is existential in the extreme: does a narrator have any identity at all; do characters exist beyond the confines of the script …? As with all good Absurdist plays (cf: Tom Stoppard) universal truths of human existence make the fantastical real.

The dynamics of Peggie Barnes’ tightly focused directing are dramatically enhanced by Scott Maxim-Sinclair’s lighting design, operated by Alex Quinn, and Quinn’s sound design, operated by Nathaniel Smith. As a team effort in the face of a daunting challenge, Antarctic Endeavours is a credit to its makers and to the Te Herenga Waka: VUW Theatre Programme that nurtured their talents.

Resounding applause affirms the success of their endeavours.

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