The Rabble’s YES boldly seeks to dismantle what “the truth” means

Captivated by the meaning behind a “yes”, The Rabble aims to take its audience through a thought-provoking performance where the pressures of having a simple answer to every question is explored.

Premiering at the Arts House in North Melbourne Town Hall, from Wednesday, September 1 to Sunday, September 12, The Rabble is finally looking forward top performing its show YES after a long waiting period.

Like many in the entertainment industry, The Rabble’s theatre show was heavily impacted by the various Victorian lockdowns. Choosing to rise above it, the acclaimed feminist theatre group is using its opportunity to speak to the uncertain period the world is currently facing.

“After such a long gestation period, YES can finally have its premiere. The work looks at our relationship to truth in a post-traumatic world. It’s an overwhelming sequence of questions that rise, settle, provoke and rise again,” Arts House artistic director Emily Sexton said.

Known for their boldness and provocative performances, The Rabble have a vision to break down the idea of who we trust, why we trust and the elusiveness of reliable information. And explore the complex dynamics of power, consent, truth and knowledge in a time of great change.

According to The Rabble, between “the bushfires, COVID-19, the Black Lives Matters protests, transphobia, and never-ending conspiracy theories, the chasm between world views is literally and metaphorically widening”.

It is this disruption and widening of beliefs YES aims to speak into.

Through an ever-changing set design of unpredictable manufactured weather events, dramatic lighting and sound changes, the 90-minute show demonstrates how unexpected life is.

Questioning the possibility that there is not one solution and answer for every situation.

Co-directors and co-creators, Emma Valente and Kate Davis’s provoking show is based on the concept of questions and answers, explaining, “why can’t we create a more communal process of searching? Could it be possible to understand the world where multiple conflicting ideas are all true at once?”.

The Rabble aims for the audience to reach this understanding through exploring the emotions of joy, contemplation and ultimately existential dread.

Proving every “yes” has a consequence •

For more information:

artshouse.com.au