THE TALK, by River Gaines & Amber Hart

Last week the Hart/Gaines clan performed four sold-out shows at La Mama Theatre.

THE TALK was co-written and performed by River Gaines and his mother Amber Hart, with a live song performed by Indy and Lindsay Gaines.

This show was born out of a desire to explore those awkward and difficult conversations we face when growing up, and to look at how the relationship and dynamics between child and parent shift in those final years of primary school.

River and I wanted to share some of those unspoken thoughts and feelings between families on stage in an attempt to highlight generational gaps in communication and experiences with humour, honesty, and curiosity. 

It was important for us to touch on the climate crisis and the pressure and weight of responsibility our young people carry that our generation didn't when we were kids, a problem shared is a problem halved right? 

Our intention was to discuss these sensitive topics in a public space but in a very private way.

We aimed for it to be awkward and relatable, and to ultimately take some of the power out of the fear/stress we all carry deep within us but perhaps don't feel comfortable sharing with each other.

We hope THE TALK made you laugh, brought about good discussions, reminded you of the power of community action, and we apologise for the tears.

Writing this work and showing it to people we know was a deeply rewarding and also vulnerable experience for River and me.

The support we received from our BNWPS families was truly wonderful and we want to 

thank you all deeply for showing up and responding to this work so generously. 

We had some really good post-show conversations at the bar with you all, which have also continued in the schoolyard. The enthusiastic BNWPS community response has highlighted to River and me that our project was a success in the nature of the topic we chose to explore and we are really chuffed and thankful for the excellent feedback and insight offered by our school community.

It filled all of our buckets to see students there with their parents/carers, La Mama Front Of House staff remarked how heartwarming it was to see parents and kids on Theatre dates together!

River and I are currently developing this work and our aim is to put it on as a main season

later on this year, we will keep you all posted and hope to see you again at the next showing.

With much gratitude,

River, Amber, Indy, and Lindsay.