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‘Working Class Clown’ is a new performance art created by Tommy Misa, for a sold-out opening night for the 24th Sydney Biennale, Ten Thousand Sons at the White Bay Power Station. 

 

The White Bay Power Station has never been open to the public but has now been transformed into a public gallery and performance space.

 

A couple of minutes into the show, Misa welcomed audiences with a compelling Acknowledgement of Country. ‘Working Class Clown’ infused elements of traditional Samoan storytelling with site-specific performance evoking a cultural and personal exploration. The short 45-minute piece was overlayed with an incredible and intricate soundscape.

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Image by Joseph Mayers

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The one-man show started with Misa wearing a denim art smock, performing a movement piece and making his way to the microphone centre stage. He opened by talking about sitting on the toilet for three days after his father's death and experiencing diarrhoea, as a metaphor for emotional catharsis, an unexpected comparison resulting in uncomfortable laughter from the audience. Misa connected his humour to relatable and common human experiences drawing inspiration from the ‘town fool’.

 

Misa reflects on his own life experiences, from being bullied to finding his queer identity and dealing with personal grief and distress. At one point Misa asks the audience who has experienced grief, and most of them put their hand up, yet this theme could have been executed more clearly as its exploration felt undefined throughout the performance.

 

Misa gains strong influence from his father, Mefiposeta, who lends his humour and wisdom to this performance. This performance draws inspiration from Misa’s own Sameon background and his fa’afafine connection. A key influence for this performance is the Samoan political satire tradition of Fale Aitu, where clowns are possessed by spirits known as Aitu. Miso’s theatrical background allowed the exploration of different characters and exceptional sound work. With his improvisation skills and ad-lib, Misa consistently involved the audience which added to the liveness of the performance. A key moment was at the end of the piece the audience sings along with him to ‘Tears in Heaven’ (originally by Erin Clapton) as a reflection of the grief he experienced with his father passing away.

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Images by Joseph Mayers

 

‘Working Class Clown’, is a new work and only had its premiere last month at PACT.  The show has strong potential that could be improved with some tighter improvements in writing with the exploration of themes and clearer expression of personal stories.

 

Miso leveraged site-specific performance through the underutilised performance space of the power station, but the set-up resulted in some viewing difficulties with non-tiered seating. The space allowed for other non-paying audience members to view the show from a higher platform, initially being full of people, but by the end of the show, there was just one member left. 

 

Overall, ‘Working Class Clown’ has the potential to grow into a strong piece and the added atmosphere of the White Bay Power Station allowed for a unique theatre experience.

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Image by Joseph Mayers 

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Working Class Clown is performing until May 3rd. Grab Tickets here.