In Conversation with Vivienne & Talia – BRUISED
In this edition of In Conversation, we shine a light on BRUISED—a new play by Vivienne Glance, premiering at The Blue Room Theatre from 8 to 26 July. BRUISED is a poetic journey into the lives of three women whose stories reflect our changing world. Through evocative dialogue, direct addresses, and striking visuals, the play explores the elemental forces that shape their lives and the strength they find in each other as they navigate a future filled with hope and uncertainty. We caught up with Vivienne Glance and Talia Zipper to dive into the creative process behind the work and what audiences can expect from this thrilling new production.
What motivated you to apply to be part of The Blue Room Theatre’s 2025 season, and what drew you to this project?
Viv: The Blue Room Theatre is a great opportunity to try out new work and to be part of our unique independent theatre scene in WA, much of it shaped by artists who have presented work here in the past.
I’ve worked on the script of Bruised for around 5 years. It’s received dramaturgy from John Aitken, and a Murdoch student production under the auspices of David Moody. Also, it was chosen to be part of The Playwrights Realm’s International Scratchpad series, and over 12 months, received dramaturgy from Chelsea Fryer and script workshops and a public reading directed by Reena Dutt.
It’s great to now be working with Talia, who is an emerging director, and I love her movement-inspired interpretation of the text, along with the evocative visuals and soundscape.
The Blue Room Theatre is the perfect place for young and emerging artists to network, stretch their boundaries, experiment, and embrace new challenges, and I’m privileged to be inspired by their ideas and enthusiasm. It has a special place in our local creative history, and long may it continue. Both audience and artists need this theatre, as creative spaces (and the opportunities they provide) continue to disappear.
How has the creative journey been so far—from concept development to rehearsals?
Viv: I’ve long been inspired to use my creative work to have a conversation around the big themes of the day, such as social justice, war and violence, the environment and climate change. To make these into engaging creative work, I try to find human stories that resonate with what I’m fascinated by.
I’m particularly interested in how science and technology impact our lives, often without us having a say about it! In Bruised, the science of weather is explored, and how this affects all life on earth, but especially birds and humans. I’m a hobby birdwatcher myself, and I’m also deeply concerned about climate change and its impacts, not only on biodiversity and the environment but also on people especially those in the global south.
The script has been rewritten many times! And I’m grateful for all the support and interest I’ve had from everyone. In particular, working with The Playwright Realm was such a profound and joyful experience. They gave me greater insights into the connections between the main characters, their stories, and the themes of staying hopeful in the face of inevitable change. To bring all of this work together into this realisation of Bruised is exhilarating and rewarding. I hope it inspires people to take action and become part of the solution. After all, hope and action are natural allies.
What has stood out to you during the rehearsal process—any unexpected discoveries or moments of growth?
Talia: Learning to work and direct in a traditional script-based world has really challenged me as an emerging director. I’ve mostly come from a devising background and haven’t worked so extensively with a script in a while, so it’s been nice to switch my brain over again and deep dive into the text – especially with one that has had such a solid foundation from the get-go.
Unexpectedly, we’d pretty much blocked the entire show by the end of the second week of rehearsals, so it’s been nice to spend the latter half just doing full runs and really finessing the little bits to make sure it’s a super solid and slick work all around for our audience.
I’ve definitely grown as a director throughout this process, and it’s been nice to have had this first experience out of uni and be so supported by a cast that has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the room that I can lean on and use to guide me as I learn with (and from) them.
How has the collaboration with your cast, crew, and creatives shaped the work and your vision for it?
Talia: I like to think I’ve set up an open and generous space for everyone to feel like they have control and pride over their bits. I think everyone in the space and behind the scenes really has a strong connection to the work as a whole, so they feel so deeply invested in making sure the final product is as good as it can be.
The cast has also been so open to me bringing in a more non-traditional way of working and I thank them for joining and trusting me on this journey as an open discussion, rather than a strict telling.
My view of my role as director is to not only make final decisions, but I also believe it is my obligation to help guide my cast, crew and creatives to deliver the best material they can. I like to leave room open for them to be as creative as they like (within the bounds of the show) as they are the experts in their role, and I trust them to make the right creative choices. I simply come in and consolidate and solidify. So it’s always a working process and collaborative conversation between me, as director, and others creatively.
What does having your show programmed in The Blue Room Season mean to you as a lead creative?
Talia: The Blue Room Theatre is integral to the Perth arts scene and is a great opportunity for emerging and established artists alike to come together and create art. The Blue Room Theatre gives way for those typically not given a voice to have a platform to speak on relevant topics to the masses and brings in an audience that actively listens and joins in the conversation.
Having Bruised programmed is giving voice to themes and topics that we rarely see in theatre – or if we do, it’s watered down by major establishments. The Blue Room Theatre graciously allows us to open the conversation further and deeper around hope within the climate crisis and the many human stories and lives it affects.
Also, on a more personal note, I have seen The Blue Room Theatre to be a game-changer for emerging artists as they simply take the risks in helping to develop new stories and forms of theatre. They are at the forefront of supporting new makers and nowhere else in Australia is there the opportunity to – as an emerging artist – have a spot in an annual season and be immediately taken seriously by others in the industry. So, thank you The Blue Room Theatre.
As you move closer to opening, what are you most excited—or even nervous—about sharing with audiences?
Talia: There’s not really one specific part that I can pin-point is going to be IT for audiences – each element and moment of the show lends its hand to creating more of an all-encompassing experience that the audience will be fully immersed within and I’m excited for them to be in the world with us. I’m excited for audiences to laugh, cry and feel with us as we follow the stories of and fall in love with the four women on stage. It’s rare that we get to see fully female-led stories on stage and I’m excited for audiences to lean in with us as we take them on a journey of existentialism to hope.
What is your show bringing to the Perth arts scene, and what do you think would help strengthen the local arts ecosystem?
Talia: We are bringing a new conversation around climate change and changing the perspective around our future. I think we are all so used to the doom and gloom of it all and, yes, there are moments of that within the show as there’s no conversation about it without the facts, but I also think we leave the audience with a changed perspective of hope and resilience within these times. It’s nice to have a show that ends in a bit more openness and willingness to change our narrative.
As well as this, we are actively having a discussion with Conservation Council WA, Birdlife, and Australian Youth Climate Coalition after one of our performances (Wednesday July 16th) to continue the conversation in the “real world” and not just the hypothetical space of the show. I think more of these active discussions following shows with audiences and leading experts to discuss themes of the show could (and should) strengthen the local arts ecosystem as then it brings the world of the show out into other spaces and allows the conversation to continue beyond the theatre walls.
Image by Shaanice Arakua