The Bleeding Tree

Posted on 1 May, 2018

 A shot rings out and a man lies dead on the floor. His wife stands over him, rifle in hand. She hangs his body in a tree on their dry, dusty land.

Winner of the prestigious Helpmann Awards in 2016, the Bleeding Tree by Angus Cerini looks at domestic violence as a mother and her two daughters hide the death of their abusive husband and father. As Paula Arundell, who plays the unnamed mother, explains, it’s an intense experience for both the performers and the audience.

“As an actor you feel like you’re in a special conversation with the audience,” Paula says. “This is a remarkable play, we’ve been approached by previous audience members, who have shared their personal stories with us, and we know we’re part of something that touches people very deeply.

“As actors it takes a lot out of us, the girls (Brenna Harding from Puberty Blues, and Sophie Ross from the 2016 film Criminal) and I have said we couldn’t do it for more than four weeks in a row.”

The play opens at the Canberra Theatre on 9 May as the first leg of a tour that will take it to Geelong and Melbourne. Each of the actors play multiple roles, with Paula doubling as both the mother and the abusive father.

The staging gives it a timeless quality, the clothes worn by the mother and daughters could be from any period in the last 70 years. “That timelessness is part of the conversation, it points to what our mothers and their mothers went through,” Paula explains.

She adds that the sense of bearing witness comes out metaphorically and literally through the tree at the centre of the drama, brought to life in the drought by the blood of the dead man beneath its roots. “A bleeding tree is functional and used to hang meat as it dries. And trees witness so much in the world and are steeped in the blood of all those we bury.”

To help her prepare for the role and the subject matter Paula looked at the case of a girl from the 1920s with a similar experience. “I read about her to help me understand the world I was entering, and I found it very hard to let go. I wish I could go back in time to save her.”

As the community around the women begin to question the father’s disappearance there’s both tension and dark comedy playing out on stage. “Most comedy is dark,” Paula says, “Tragedy and comedy go hand in hand. There are some very funny elements, the dialogue is so well written and there are some genuinely funny scenes, like when the part-time police officer comes around with his curious dog.”

When asked if there is ultimately a hopeful message in the play, Paula pauses before answering. “It’s not so much about answering questions or watching the resolution of a situation. And even though it is set in the outback it isn’t just an Australian play. If I had my way I’d take it worldwide and keep the conversation going.”

The essentials

What: The Bleeding Tree
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre
When: 9-12 May 2018
How much: $49 to $69, canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Images courtesy of Brett Boardman