In The Beginning
Mantalk was conceived during an open-ended creative development at the Performance Space in Sydney, where the aim was to work during the day to develop a show, and then perform that show in the evening. After a difficult first two days, Neil Thomas and David Wells realised they were having a lot of fun on the bus travelling in to rehearse - trying to make each other laugh, talking deeply - and that their fellow passengers seemed to like listening in.
They realised this was a form that worked well, especially as they had been telling stories to challenging each other for years. They added original songs to the mix and Mantalk was born.
Performers Neil and David invite their audience into what is a private and comic conversation between the two men. There is no script, there are no agendas, and they don't work towards predetermined milestones. They throw everything they have into the mix - song, physical theatre, desperation, inspiration, their friendship, their truths and lies.
Mantalk is a speculation, requiring the performers to discover and weave a new web of meaning each night. It invites the audience to share in a long-term friendship. The payoff for risk, personal exposure and sincerity is an experience charged with emotion.
