Ruby Moon Essay

The individual experiences found in Australian society are the fear of the unknown, grief and loss, life in a ‘cul-de-sac’ and identity. Matt Cameron explores these ideas in the play Ruby Moon through the use of cyclical structure, Absurd and Artaud theatre and transformational acting as well as the elements of production to convey the experiences to the audience. The prevailing cultural, historical and political contexts in Australia influenced him to write the play, which is a fusion of non-realism and realism.

From the Australian culture the individual experiences of ‘fear of the unknown’ impacted Matt Cameron. He plays on the idea that there is fear within everyone, from others, themselves and their environment. The play depicts the mistrust amongst the various inhabitants of what is meant to be a community. Stories such as Beaumont Children and Azaria Chamberlain have changed Australians views on how parents should protect their children. We constantly live in fear and thinking the worst of each situation. With the use of light and dark, sound scape, gestures and Artaud theatre the group was able to represent this idea.

The elements of productions used to convey the individual experience of ‘fear of the unknown’ includes blackout. With the use of sound scape; whistling ‘Twinkle Little Star’, slow clapping, saying ‘Baby, where are you’ and breathing creates a sense of eeriness for the audience. Not being able to see what the actors are doing, forces the audience to use their imagination by utilising the noises they hear rather than a visual stimulus. The darkness also symbolises the fear of the unknown.

Artaud theatre is a theatrical technique used to further illustrate the fear of the unknown. This is through the sound scape and the use of gestures. Making a freeze frame with the whole company in a diagonal line, all on different levels, reaching to stage left symbolises a search for answers. This visual enforces the idea that Australians want and