Experimental performance in Western Sydney gains new ground with Tala Issaoui's Once in a Blue Moon, a mystical trilogy premiering at PYT Fairfield as part of Sydney Fringe Festival. This ambitious multidisciplinary work promises to blur boundaries between live performance and ritual embodiment, following a mystic's journey through cycles of pain, transformation, and renewal.
Issaoui's artistic journey reflects the kind of creative evolution that makes fringe festivals essential cultural spaces. Originally aspiring to filmmaking, she has expanded into sound design, installation art, and live performance, developing a distinctive voice that draws from multiple disciplines. Once in a Blue Moon represents the culmination of this exploration, integrating all her artistic interests into a cohesive theatrical experience.
The production's structure as a trilogy allows for gradual narrative development, incorporating elements from Issaoui's previous works Ode To my Soulmate? and void..., which have been presented in gallery spaces including Puzzle Gallery in Chippendale and Pari in Parramatta. These earlier pieces serve as foundation for the final mystical culmination, where the central character calls upon spirits under a blue moon to complete a cycle of healing.
The choice to centre the work around the blue moon phenomenon demonstrates thoughtful conceptual development. This rare celestial event, traditionally associated with introspection and transformation, provides both mystical framework and practical structure for exploring themes of rebirth and moving beyond past trauma. Issaoui's fascination with this astronomical occurrence translates into theatrical metaphor that should resonate with audiences seeking meaningful spiritual content.
PYT Fairfield's selection of this work through their competitive application process signals the venue's commitment to supporting experimental performance in Western Sydney. As the company's first fringe season, the choice to champion Issaoui's mystical trilogy demonstrates confidence in local audiences' appetite for challenging, unconventional theatre that extends beyond traditional entertainment categories.
The intimate scale of PYT Fairfield should serve the work's spiritual themes well. Mystical performance often benefits from close audience proximity, where the boundaries between performer and witness can dissolve in service of shared transcendence. The venue's community atmosphere could prove ideal for the kind of ritual-influenced work Issaoui has created.
Once in a Blue Moon represents the kind of personal, spiritually-engaged work that distinguishes fringe programming from mainstream offerings. Issaoui's commitment to exploring genuine transformation rather than theatrical mysticism could provide audiences with experiences that extend beyond conventional entertainment into more profound territory.
Creative Producer Gabriela Green Olea's description of the work as "a delicate spiritual offering" that encourages audiences to "ponder ideas that fringe the mainstream" positions the production as exactly the kind of boundary-pushing art that makes festival programming essential to cultural vitality.
For audiences willing to engage with unconventional performance, Once in a Blue Moon promises an opportunity to experience mystical theatre that takes both its spiritual content and artistic ambitions seriously.
Once in a Blue Moon runs September 4-7 at PYT Fairfield as part of Sydney Fringe Festival. More information available at https://sydneyfringe.com/events/once-in-a-blue-moon/
(images: Tala Issaoui)
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