Only a few years ago, there were minimal opportunities in Melbourne for emerging dramatists to workshop their first playscripts and see them performed: surely, vital experiences for learning their craft. Thanks to various theatre companies, including 9minds, that situation is changing. In 2006/7, 9minds presented ‘9minds9works’, playreadings of new Australian scripts at the Arts Centre. From that season, 9minds fostered Tim Nolan to develop his script, Kill the Wolf. 9minds has now produced Nolan’s final draft at the BlackBox. It is a good, sensitive piece and was well executed by the company.Just over an hour long, Kill the Wolf delves into the relationship between Richard Wolf, who is intellectually disabled as a consequence of falling out of a tree, and his adult son, Mikey, a salesman, who was 15 at the time of the accident. As the play unfolds, we discover the sources of Mikey’s frustration with and anger towards his father. He feels burdened by the responsibilities of caring for Richard, who has incessant needs and demands. It also emerges that Mikey still blames his father for failing to protect him from a paedophile who abused him. In addition, the play explores Mikey’s struggle to develop relationships with women, and he attempts to rape Rose, the object of his lust, in an act of desperation and inadequacy. These are heavy issues and it seems too short a piece to accommodate them all. They are, nonetheless, lightened by tragi-comic moments, which arise mostly from Richard’s child-like observations, unfiltered by constraints of tact and social etiquette.Nolan was fortunate to have a strong, experienced cast to portray his characters. Chris Bunworth was especially impressive as Richard, and Marcella Russo as Rose and Lee Mason as Mikey created credible personalities and sustained the dramatic tension despite some stilted and clichéd lines.The actors clearly benefited from the experienced direction of Lucy Freeman, also 9minds’ Artistic Director. The set and costumes, designed by Andrew Bellchambers, fitted the script. Particularly striking were images of Rose in a plastic bubble and the use of a wolf’s mask and angel’s wings to symbolise Mikey’s demons and fantasies, respectively.9minds is to be congratulated for its commitment to new Australian work, attracting good talent and fostering new artists.

www.9minds.com.au

Reviewed by: Gabrielle Wolf