Cædmon’s Hymn is this year’s second offering from Dunedin’s very own Counterpoint Productions. As a student at Otago University Jess Green studied the art of documentary theatre making under the tutelage of genre heavyweights Stuart Young and Hilary Halba. Clearly inspired by her studies, Green has undertaken, single-handedly, the mammoth task of creating, from scratch, a piece of documentary theatre: conducting interviews, editing the material, and directing the final product. To this I say, bravo!   

The subject of this piece is death and information; namely, virtual information. What do you leave behind when you die? What does this ‘stuff’, this information, reveal about your life? The interviewees, and resulting ‘characters’ in Cædmon’s Hymn are a teacher with a special research interest in gravesites, a young blogger, a law lecturer specialising in succession law, a mental health nurse and counsellor, a medical lecturer and researcher with an interest in psycho-social-spiritual care, and finally, a catholic priest.

Needless to say these informants offered up a plethora of fascinating and thought provoking material that Green has edited together with both care and flair. Dotted throughout the piece is each interviewee’s response to the question “what three things would you like to represent you after you die?” (I have worded this myself, I am not sure of the exact words used in the interviews but from the responses I gather this to be the gist of it). I think that the way Green has used this verbal motif throughout Cædmon’s Hymn is very clever, it draws the ‘characters’ and the ‘narrative’ together at specific points while also prompting the audience to think of their own answers to this question.  

The subject matter dealt with in this piece makes the St Paul’s Cathedral Crypt a very apt location to stage Cædmon’s Hymn. Obviously the Crypt itself is very atmospheric and the rudimentary lighting, set and projection all work together to complement and enhance both the space and the themes within the piece. The shadows, the whirring of the projection and the biting chill cease to bother me as I get drawn further and further into the play; the subject matter is just so interesting!   

Cædmon’s Hymn is really what I would call ‘interesting theatre’, as opposed to say ‘entertainment theatre’; that is, theatre that challenges it’s audience, provokes thought and discussion and isn’t afraid to deal with the absolute reality of life. I very much value theatre that does this; it is both brave and noble. I think it is fantastic to see that the research and practice pioneered and refined by Young and Halba is now inspiring other theatre makers to pursue documentary theatre making. Their influence on Cædmon’s Hymn is evident and the success of this piece is an absolute tribute to their work and teaching.  

The use of the ‘MP3’ technique in Cædmon’s Hymn mirrors that of Hush, Be | Longing, and the recent production The Keys are in the Margarine. (If you are not too sure what I mean when I say ‘MP3’ technique there is more information available through these reviews links). The ability that this technique has to truly transform actors into completely different people will always baffle and astound me.

Cædmon’s Hymn is no exception and the technique is used expertly with integrity and honesty. All of the performers – Allyn Robins, Annica Lewis, Ashley Stewart, Joelle Peters, Jordan Dickson and Sofie Welvaert – are equally matched in their execution of it and they all give very compelling performances.

One tiny piece of advice I would have for these performers is: don’t forget that although you need to remain true to your interviewees, the audience still need to be able to hear and understand you. Very occasionally a little extra attention to projection and annunciation would not go amiss.   

Nevertheless, with such a short season (the final show is this Saturday) I would urge you to face the winter evening and go and support these up-and-coming theatre makers. Cædmon’s Hymn is very deserving of large audiences. Just make sure to rug up nice and warm! 

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