Tangled Adulthood

The Butterfly Club in Melbourne CBD hosts an array of acts in collaboration with the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Tangled Adulthood is one of the many theatrical shows. The performance is dance and physical theatre, which tells a story through movement and minimal script.

Starring in the show is housemates Kyle Davey and Stephanie Osztreicher. The original music and composition is by Josh Mitchell who created the soundtrack to accompany the performance. Josh Mitchell performs live with Davey and Osztreicher. The three have never worked all together before.

The 50 minute performance showcases the acting and artistic talent of both Davey and Osztreicher. The exploration of their movement is to explain the ups and downs of adulthood. With the occasional monologue throughout, the pair takes the audience on an abstract journey.

With Davey coming from a classical ballet background and Osztreicher from a theatre background, the two collaborate and mesh well in this particular show. They “wanted to create a show where [they] could merge both [their] artistic practices together”. Thus using the concept of adulthood, where they could twist and abstract the idea. Instead of going down the path of responsibility of adulthood, the two warped the idea from a child’s point of view. While using real adult problems such as depression, anxiety and relationships Davey and Osztreicher take the ideas to another level, as no one truly understands what being an adult is all about. It is an abstract take on adulthood, through a childlike curiosity.

Living with each other developed this concept as they both questioned the ideas of adulthood. Observing and questioning how the two, themselves function and deal with adult problems aided this inspiration. Working through conversations and theatrical ideas, Tangled Adulthood was created.

Confined to a small space to perform in, Davey and Osztreicher utilize the stage 2 x 4.5 metre stage and create the idea of space. This gives the two a different approach to how they would usually perform.

Davey and Osztreicher challenged each other’s styles. This worked in their favour as this created insecurities, which they then could filter into their show. They created a collaborative process.

With Tangled Adulthood, the audience can expect an absurdist world of what we know. Some of it may seem familiar, but it is a much different take on the world of adulthood.

Tangled Adulthood
The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne
Tuesday September 27 – Sunday October 2, 10pm
melbournefringe.com.au/program?event/tangled-adulthood