“It’s a lot of fun, we cheer and whoop as the tasks are completed or not. Once we understand the format there is a sense of waning and I for one longed for a deeper exploration of burnout because it is real, shattering and deathly. But “Burnout Paradise” isn’t going there.“
Kate Gaul
Bondi Festival
Sydney
11 – 13 July 2024
Pony Cam state they are “driven by a desire to bring people together to create experiences that could not otherwise be had. By subverting well-known forms, activating unexpected spaces, and inviting audiences into our work in unexpected ways, we create moments where audiences are challenged to question their assumptions, laugh at themselves, and reject habitual recourse. The current line up for Pony Cam is Claire Bird, Ava Campbell, William Strom, Dominic Weintraub and Hugo Williams.”
Pony Cam are the Melbourne-based mavericks of mayhem in this inspired, crazy and thought-provoking show, “Burnout Paradise”. Coming off strong Melbourne seasons and Grant Theft Theatre (which won a “Best in Fringe” prize in Melbourne and enjoyed a follow-up season as part of Adelaide Festival this year) Pony Cam’s Sydney premiere Burnout Paradise harnesses their success to explore theatrical ambiguity, and the possibility of theatrical failure. It is billed as a physical celebration that comes with burnout. Additionally, this is an examination of the excruciating torture of living as an artist in Australia who must leap through metaphorical hoops to barely survive. Life is dangerous, cruel and fuelled with impossible tasks against time. So, Pony Cam made a show about it.
Four skinny performers take it in turns to cook a three-course meal (served to two audience members by the end of the show), stage a heartfelt performance that is related to their childhood, start and finish a grant application to Charles Sturt University, and complete a list of everyday leisure tasks with an abundance of props. And all of this on individual treadmills with the added handle to aim for a combined kilometre tally that beats what has been achieved the night before – or risk the audience receiving a ticket refund. A fifth member is side of stage with a laptop, running the show, keeping score and serving Gatorade (and selling the merch!) Audience members jump to their feet to assist (no one is obliged to do so). The rapport that Pony Cam establishes is essential to the game. The cast is stuck on their respective treadmills, so it’s up to the audience to get them their props, ingredients, and supplies.
It’s a lot of fun, we cheer and whoop as the tasks are completed or not. Once we understand the format there is a sense of waning and I for one longed for a deeper exploration of burnout because it is real, shattering and deathly. But “Burnout Paradise” isn’t going there. I read on the company website that the show is described by the team as “an unravelling realisation that the systems we participate in are not designed for us”. But the night I saw the show the team did succeed in exceeding their goals – so are they designed for this system? But I applaud the mental and physical stamina this event requires. The company faces a gruelling season in Edinburgh this August. They may push their limits there and it will be interesting to see what Scottish audiences make of it all.
Kate Gaul, Theatre Now
