Michael Stromenger's Zoomtastic Return: Mentone Public Library Zoom Review - Saturday, 13 & 20 June 2020
There was once a world before COVID-19.
In this old world,
a young, intelligent,
sensitive and talented writer
named Michael Stromenger
lived in Melbourne.
He was an intern for the Jewish Holocaust Centre.
He had presented beautifully
at Mentone Public Library in 2019 and was preparing to deliver again for us
in
March and April for our 95th birthday celebrations.
Our late
president and dearly missed friend
Tony Brooker remarked:
“With that much talent, he has the sky as his
only limit.”
Tony's statement proved prophetic,
because by April 2020,
Michael was placed on a rescue flight
back home to Austria,
as the pandemic reached uncharted heights
and land mass - seizing Australia too.
...We thought we had lost
Michael for good.
Fortunately, through the power of Zoom,
this was not the case.
Michael was able to find his way back to us
and bring us to our feet in standing ovation.
Below, our succeeding president reviews the back-to-back showcase that unfolded in the
Mentone Public Library Zoom Room
over two Saturday evenings in June...
Zoom-Chair View:
SHOWCASE ONE:
"The Cigarette Filter"
Visit Paul Karp's Poetry Website at:
Congratulations
to you Julia on wrangling this Zoom session across continents and international
time zones
(Michael from Austria
11.30am
to an Australian 7.30pm audience).
My partner,
Michelle, and I enjoyed Michael’s ‘filter/future’ engaging parallel meditative
interplay,
via the usb recording made of the Zoom session
we viewed on the
Wednesday night following the event.
 |
| "No Filter. No Future." A vulnerable moment is shared as the Cigarette Filter ponders the balancing act between giving, giving away and giving in. |
Even more
mind-bogglingly, time-space-warping was well-known author, George Ivanoff’s Zoom
interview session,
pre-recorded by George,
but answered in real time by
Michael!
George’s
avatar/image obediently froze between each question until Julia,
puppet-master-like, reactivated him with a touch of her computer keyboard.
As a
self-confessed sci-fi nerd, George would have loved the time-travelling back to
the stop-start future feature of his interview session Julia arranged
to
accommodate his busy schedule.
It reminds us how technology
increasingly
permits anyone’s dopple-ganger
to be at more than one place in one time!
****
Zoom-Chair View:
SHOWCASE TWO:
"Like You and Me"
Visit Paul Karp's Poetry Website at:
Congratulations again on June 20th's Zoom event.
I enjoyed Michael’s play
‘Like You and Me’.
The play aired highly visceral issues.
Resonating for me was the drug addict's moment recounting to the social worker the drug
overdose suicide of his late girlfriend, Jane.
Revealing she who was pregnant
to him, and his suspicion her overdose was catapulted by family opposition to her desire to bear their child.
It was touching that he sensed her close presence, but sadly only when
he was high on drugs.
His recognition of aspects of Jane in the social
worker, who we learn is also coming to terms with a loved one's suicide; her own sister whom she had become estranged from,
seems to
strengthen the bond between worker and client...
 |
| Veronica as "The Social Worker" & Michael Stromenger as "The Addict" |
Though, despite this,
we remain ever-aware of the
psychological chess match unfolding between them.
 |
| Cr Tamsin Bearsley (far right, bottom row) shares her thoughts on watching the unpredictable twists and turns of the characters' interactions and revelations. |
Right to the very end, the viewer is constantly debating who will get check-mate...and who will be checking-out?
 |
| The Social Worker (left) consults the audience: Should she indulge the addict and play his psychological game to gain his co-operation at the risk of surrendering herself? |
Very strong performances.
Congratulations.
We enjoyed this performance on several levels. It was great to see two beautiful young and talented people on the other side of the world take the time to present their work for us. The play presented an even handed look at two sides to the drug problem and opened my eyes a little more to the difficult task of defeating the habit. It's a healing process that has to come from within. Also congratulations to our very own Julia for having the passion and taking the time to put the Zoom meeting together. We love you Julia.
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