This July, Theatre Works proudly brings Nadia Tass’s production of acclaimed playwright Heather McDonald’s Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity to the stage, a haunting and urgent production that interrogates the cost of survival and the endurance of art in the face of devastation.
Actor Jane Montgomery-Griffiths plays Layla and is one of the three female characters in the story
“Layla is a fabulous character,” says Montgomery-Griffiths. “She’s an art restorer who’s been imprisoned and is being coerced into helping the enemy restore great pieces of art. But that brief sentence doesn’t do her justice: she’s actually one of the most complex and compelling characters that I’ve played. I admire her strength, I love her intellect and I think that she is the human representation of the Japanese art of kintsukuroi (the mending of shard of pottery with a seam of gold solder) which features in the play – she is, to quote from the script, “more beautiful for having been broken”.
Masterpieces is inspired by the 2001 UNESCO proclamation of the same name. Now 25 years in action, the UNESCO Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage (eg. traditions, rituals, dance, and knowledge) and urge the protection of the communities that create them. With a world currently experiencing devastating turmoil, it has never been more relevant.
“It’s a profound piece of work about the importance of humanity in dark times,” says Montgomery-Griffiths
“What I love so much about this play is that it finds the beauty in the small things that make us human; yes, there’s discussion about ‘great art’, but Heather Macdonald’s play shows us the deep joy and exquisite importance of the small day-to-day things that remind us of love and human connection.
We live in divisive times, and this play shows us the power that comes from seeing the person, not ‘the other’, in front of us.
For Montgomery-Griffiths, it’s an extraordinary play – brutal, funny, moving, poetic and ultimately very beautiful.
“When I was asked to read the play, I did so in just one sitting, barely catching breath and incredibly excited to be asked to play such a wonderful character as Layla. She’s an actor’s dream role – spiky, wounded, witty, fiercely intelligent and fantastically multi-layered. There’s no way I would’ve said ‘no’ to such an extraordinary part.
Also, of course, I was very eager to work with the wonderful Nadia Tass – she’s an absolute icon in the Australian film and theatre industry and is a fabulous director. I’m loving working with her.”
Montgomery-Griffiths explains that there’s a bit of audience participation at the beginning of the play (nothing scary, she promises) and she hopes the audience will carry that with them for the whole evening.
“Hopefully, they will leave the theatre thinking about the things that matter most to them and seeing the world in slightly brighter colours. That is what is so special about this play – it takes the characters and the audience on a journey from the darkest of times to a place where there is hope and the true beauty that comes from acknowledging our shared humanity.”
The story centres on a power dynamic between three distinct women: a violence-hardened soldier, a secretive nurse, and an art restorer. Stripped of their past lives, the characters are forced to confront the true cost of survival.
Montgomery-Griffiths says McDonald’s writes with an extraordinary combination of brutal naturalism, heightened poeticism and magical realism. “Her text is rich and strange and as an actor, you’re constantly mining for clues about character and meaning. It calls for several acting techniques and a lot of vocal precision. But it’s also deeply human, passionate and moving.
It’s definitely one of the most compelling plays I’ve read in a long time.”
Montgomery- Griffiths is excited about the intimate cast saying, “There are three of us in the cast and that means that we have to develop a lot of trust and understand each other’s rhythms. That’s a challenge and also a real pleasure. It can be intense, but the quality of the play keeps our energy high.”
Montgomery-Griffiths has performed in every major theatre company in Australia with her career beginning in England where she achieved similar achievements
As an actor, Montgomery-Griffiths says she’s always been cast as, and she supposes been drawn to, the more dramatic characters. “In my forties, I was known for pretty serious and grueling plays like Wit at fortyfivedownstairs and Frankenstein at Malthouse, and since then, I’ve mostly been working with Bell Shakespeare.
But having said that, the last play I did at Theatre Works was the gay rom-com Australian Open in which I was a corporate businesswoman having a mid-life crisis, contemplating affairs and deciding to climb Everest!
So generally, I work on the premise that if I like the play and the people, I’ll take the part.”
Her very really shared concern is that, “sadly, the parts for women tend to drop off once you hit your mid-fifties like me!”
Set within the crumbling walls of a war-ravaged museum turned makeshift prison, the story follows three women forced into an uneasy alliance: a soldier hardened by violence, a nurse guarding deep secrets, and an art restorer desperately fighting to preserve the last remnants of beauty.
The work poses a profound central question about the survival of the human spirit: When history is erased, who will remember what made us human?
Says Montgomery-Griffiths, “I feel very passionate about this play.
I’d like audiences to come to see some terrific performances, an incredibly accomplished production and witness the beauty of Heather Macdonald’s writing.
It’s the sort of evening that will make you leave the theatre seeing the world and the people around you with fresh eyes and give you a sense of hope for the beauty of humanity.”
Running till August 1
