UP THERE (Boorloo) is the kind of show that you can’t wait to tell your friends about. Leaving the Urban Orchard space across from AGWA, my fingers couldn’t move fast enough to spam various group chats about how brilliant what I’d just experienced was. But let’s take a step back and investigate what initiated this flurry of activity in my messenger app.
It was a beautiful spring evening when I made my way to UP THERE’s meeting point (after ditching my heavy work bag at The Blue Room’s box office, thanks team!). The friendly creatives, William Gammel, Tay Conway, and Leah Robyn, were on hand to greet the small group of people they’d gathered for their opening night performance. I used the word “show” in the first paragraph, but this is actually an immersive audio walking tour designed to take us on a journey focused on the vacant spaces in our CBD. We were each given a set of wireless headphones (the kind you use at silent discos) and taught a few signals from our trio of creatives-turned-tour-guides that would help make our walk safe and smooth.
When the audio started, we were gently immersed further into the world around us, with the natural environmental sounds heightened. What unfolded was like a podcast brought to life. Voices filled our heads, sharing titbits of memories and anecdotes of times past. Rarely settling on one person’s voice for more than a few moments, the editing style evoked that of an endless stream of consciousness, but it was never overwhelming or busy.
The team had clearly spent a lot of time and energy interviewing many people who have special connections to places in the city. I liked the choice they made not to have the talent introduce themselves or drag out formalities, but this didn’t compromise the intimacy we felt with the interviewees. We learned things not only about the places we were seeing but also about those we were hearing from.
We were led on an hour-long walk through the streets of the CBD, timed perfectly to match what we were hearing to what we were seeing and experiencing. I could feel the atmosphere of what these places had been. One standout moment was taking a brief pause to sit in the Hay Street Mall and hear about how it used to be an entertainment precinct filled with theatres, cinemas, and bars. I could see what was being described to me, the empty street before me became bustling. It was quite a meditative experience; my mind and body completely surrendered to it. I felt safe in the hands of our guides.
The tour didn’t only highlight the vacant spaces of our city but also those that are still lively and had never crossed my radar. We passed many small yet packed, family-run restaurants that were clearly pillars of the communities they primarily serve. These were places I’d passed hundreds of times but never taken the time to slow down and look at more closely.
What struck me most about this experience was the range of emotions I felt throughout the tour. I could list everything I felt, but instead I’ll sum it up by saying it was bittersweet. As we explored what “once was,” the life that had been in these spaces and the joy they brought people, I felt saddened by what we’ve lost and what we’re quite frankly neglecting in our city. But what this team has done beautifully is instil a sense of hope in the piece and remind us of what is great about this place.
It’s rare that I feel there’s nothing that could be improved in a work, but here I really have no notes. I’ve been impressed by the innovation of this creative team in the past, but in UP THERE they take things to a different level. They’ve created a format that simply sings. You can feel the love and energy they’ve put into every element of this work, which by no means would have been an easy thing to orchestrate.
If you’re someone who wants to know more about the heart of where you live—the stories these spaces hold—and come away with a whole new appreciation and understanding of our CBD, then consider this review like a long text sent just to you, recommending that you go and see this show.
UP THERE (BOORLOO) is on from Nov 4-22.