When Mark Gaal's dynamic production of Drums of Thunder introduced Field to Belvoir Street audiences in the mid-1980s Australian theatre subtly strengthened its connection with the street, and, by default, the heart. Two Hands both chilled and enthralled. Now Field is directing The Misanthrope for the inventive young theatre company Hair of the Dog. It would seem an unusual choice for Field, but this promises to be a very different Misanthrope . Translated by British writer Martin Crimp and reset in contemporary London, its characters are as familiar as those in today's newspaper gossip columns.
Field also has a provocative energy.
He's not afraid to take risks - to spit in the face of the people Crimp is sending up. The rehearsal room for The Misanthrope is two floors above a Surry Hills martial arts studio. The actors, three women and six men, gather in a space barely larger than an average living room. The floor is marked with tape outlining the size and shape of the tiny stage on which they will soon perform. Field sits quietly watching his actors prepare.