Preview: RAT RACE
Written by Lara Thain
The new “People You Know” production Rat Race written by Catherine Barrie will be showing in the cellar of Aikmans Bar on November 16-18. This past week, I had the privilege of sitting in on one of their rehearsals and talking to members of the production team where I learned about the creative process for this student-written show.
Walking into Aikmans, I had no expectations and no idea what lay in store for me in this student written show. I soon learned that the setting (Aikamans cellar) was essential to plot and creative ethos of the show. Rat Race is about five men, all lifelong friends, meeting up in a pub to get drinks and compete in a “rat race” to prove they have the best life. However, one of the group is unemployed, and the show explores the tension between this and the Rat Race’s toxic competition. Rat Race hopes to explore the dynamics of male friendships, toxic masculinity, and competitiveness when it comes to employment. Being a male-dominated cast, but female-dominated crew, the production team says that the distance with these issues has allowed them to be explored in a unique way. When asked about the inspiration for the show, the writer Catherine Barrie, cited da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Barrie a student theatre veteran, having written and directed shows with “People You Know” Productions before. She wrote Rat Race periodically over the last year.
There is only one female character in the show, played by Lexie Dykes, who helps to juxtapose the outrageous behavior of the main characters. Thought and care has gone into developing this character; for example, the Director (Daisy Lillingston-Paterson) and assistant director (Calla Mitchell) for the show told me how Dykes’s character is only able to sit down when one of the men stands and never receives her own seat. They also hope that the setting of Aikmans cellar will not only help with the realism of the show, but cause the audience to feel more uncomfortable due to the intimate setting.
The set is entirely made up of items that are already in Aikmans, aside from one exciting surprise set piece. The crew made a point to share how generous people have been in helping their production come to life. Being a “People You Know” production, the cast and crew of the show have a lot of freedom to make any of the creative choices they wish during their six weeks of rehearsals. This is due to “People You Know” being an independent, rather than union-affiliated, production group, and so they are unrestrained by any kind of limitations brought with the Union. Although this results in a minimal budget, the production team has said this has not been a concern, instead it has caused creative innovation.
The cast and crew hope for the show to have a casual atmosphere where the audience can grab a drink, enjoy the show and have a laugh. From what I saw of rehearsal it seems like the show will deliver. The scenes I saw in rehearsal were littered with drunken swaggering, swearing and dry humor. The directors paid close attention to the performers throughout the rehearsal, with Buster Ratcliffe van der Geest and Matthew McCaffrey especially thriving in the outlandish comedy.
With only thirty seats per night, be sure to grab a ticket quickly for a night that is sure to filled with laughs, drinks and piss-takes (perhaps due to set pieces).
You can find Rat Race on Instagram @peopleyouknowproductions.
