The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes
This meeting will now come to order!
Three of the most popular actors from the legendary Back to Back Theatre chair a townhall meeting that addresses slippery, or perhaps rather thorny, issues. On the agenda: imperiled human rights, food ethics, and the domination of artificial intelligence. And when it comes to these topics, it looks as if the performers might just have a head start on most of us.
A master at revealing the audience to itself, the Australian company redirects our perceptions, challenges our assumptions. Their latest work candidly and hilariously explores the complex terminology and attitudes around disability, rattling the fundamental structures of our societies in which we often place blind trust. “Dear neurotypicals,” the actors seem to be telling us, “machine intelligence may well be catching up with you.”
About the artist
Back to Back Theatre (Geelong)
The productions of Back to Back Theatre renew discourses on disability, democracy and the human condition through explorations of eugenics in the context of perinatality (soft, 2002), growthism (small metal objects, 2005), intimidation (Food Court, 2008), or cultural appropriation (Ganesh Versus the Third Reich, a memorable show staged at the 2013 FTA).
Media Coverage
“Humour and rage intertwine in Back to Back theatre company’s playful debate of ethics, language and philosophy. […] By explaining what people with learning disabilities have been subjected to through time, they hope to raise awareness, create a community, and stop the future from echoing the past.”
Kate Wyver, The Guardian (United Kingdom), 2022-10-20
“Actors with intellectual disabilities explore a world dominated by artificial intelligence in a play that’s anything but sweet. […] The concept is clever.”
Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore, The Guardian (United Kingdom), 2019-09-27
“It’s a piece of unexpectedly brilliant theater. […] No more will be said, other than TSWPTHB is an indisputable must-see.”
David Finkle, New York Stage Review (United States), 2020-01-12
“Back to Back seamlessly, ruthlessly, challenge and unsettle the ways audiences read the veracity – or virtuosity – of the performers. […] The performers work the text to precision timing. Beats are rarely missed.”
Bryoni Tresize, The Conversation (Australia), 2019-09-30
