Presented by The 8068 Project
@The Myer Centre Theatre, Level 4
THURSDAY 8th March (March 10)

Have you ever wondered what happens to a building when it’s abandoned? Or to the displaced souls who once called it home?

Ghost Town: Inhabitants of the abandoned city brings together six unnamed characters, all lost, all seemingly forgotten when the structures they called home were abandoned. United (and divided) by their newfound anonymity and haunted by their memories of yesteryear they wander the world searching for purpose and above all, a home.

Exploring themes such as abandonment and loss (of both hope and purpose) and the struggle to accept the circumstances that fate and life deliver; Ghost Town combines belly dancing, hip hop, ballet, contemporary and African dance techniques with physical theatre and acting to produce a high energy performance with a clever (and at times cryptic) narrative. Set to a musical score which includes jazz, early carnival music and popular songs from 1920’s and 1930’s America, Ghost Town takes you on a thought provoking journey through the lives of six interesting women. Each dancer brings her character to life in their own unique way; from their fast moving, high energy dance routines and emotive narratives to their facial expressions the dancers put 110% into each performance. There were a few times where some performers confused their lines but, like true professionals, they simply corrected themselves and carried on.

For me the real standout performer was the Town Mayor who spends a great deal of the show wheeling around her office chair (a pitiful reminder of her past life). Lost in a sea of amnesia she tells the story of her once grand city and laments the loss of her title and identity. Be sure to keep your eye on the Ringmaster, who performs a mind blowing routine that will leave you wondering just how anyone could move their body like that.

The performance takes place in the unoccupied Fernwood Gym, located on the fourth floor of the Myer Centre (below the long forgotten Dazzleland, an indoor theme park which closed in 1998 and has been abandoned since 2009). Within its expansive back room sits a small, simply designed stage. A white sheet adorns one wall and is the screen on which images of abandoned theme parks and malls will be projected. A tall ladder sits just off to the right while chicken wire and a small fence on wheels wait opposite; a selection of plastic chairs line the area in front of the screen. At first glance the area looks haphazardly thrown together but as Bridgett Cains, Ghost Town’s producer (and performer) explains, this is all part of the shows design. “We wanted to keep the feeling of abandonment, to create a ramshackle kind of feel”.

While the show’s  website promises “a moving backdrop of images”, technical difficulties meant the projector was not operating in time for opening night which was a real shame, as the images would have added to the overall impact of the show. Audiences can expect to see images from locations including the 6 Flags Theme Park in New Orleans (abandoned after Hurricane Katrina) and Pripyat, a European city abandoned after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. These and others inspired director and choreographer Cera Byer: “I started thinking about when theme parks and malls close, they never tear them down. Then nature takes over and it’s creepy and haunting and weird in a way that you want to look at”.

Ghost Town is the debut performance from The 8068 Project and is a collaboration between Australian dancers and San Francisco based Byer. Named for the distance between Adelaide and San Francisco it may surprise viewers to learn that most of the cast members met each other for the first time on Sunday 4 March. A week of intense group rehearsals followed and the script and soundtrack were finalised just days before opening night! If the dancers were flustered by this seemingly impossible deadline it didn’t show; Ghost Town is a raw and thought provoking performance and is a must see at this year’s Fringe – it’s just a shame there are only three shows.