So I capped off a good day by heading on out to Parramatta to check out the last night of The Fence. These Urban Theatre Projects type pieces are always a bit of a highlight of the Sydney Festiva and I’m glad to be ending my Festival on this note.

So upon arrival at the Riverside Theatre we were directed off down a signed path to the actual venue “a Parramatta backyard”. The set for the play looked like a family home with one wall removes so that we looked like we were watching in on the people’s domestic lives. The fact that we were in the suburbs just added to the feeling.

The main characters here are Mel – an Aboriginal guy; his non-Indigenous missus Joy and her friend Lou. Lou is the total crack up of the piece and I totally loved her character. Putting some humour into a story which is about resilience in a world characterised by being part of the Stolen Generations and Forgotten Australians is not an easy task – but they manage to do so.

One thing I really liked about the work was that it was almost in real time. There were literally minutes of pregnant pauses and awkwardness in some of the conversations which just made it seem all the more real to me. Real emotion behind these very real scenarios being played out across The Fence.

Performances were great – and a real hat tip to these actors who literally have to play a winter scenario (including around an open fire) in hot summery Sydney. Because this is not a play full of constant drama – the actors work hard to stick to the authenticity of the scenario they are playing out. Something they manage to do admirably.

I’d recommend going and seeing it – but tonight was the last night. Keep an eye out for its reappearance on the festival circuit maybe.”