Dosostias

After a trip to South America, local experimental theatre group Parallelo have taken some of the current world concerns to heart in their newly commissioned work 'Dosostias', which makes it's premiere at the Cabaret Festival.

In the literal translation from the Spanish, 'Dosostias' means "two whacks to the head", a commonly used phrase to describe rough justice handed out to dissenters and troublemakers by the Guardia in Franco's Spain. Set on a fictional Caribbean island, 'Dosostias' is a political and caustically defiant cabaret show which looks at democracy and it's response to the threat of global terrorism, and the development of other political threads. Specifically, Director Simon Palomares wanted to look at such issues as the Australian acceptance and legislation of sedition laws, and how they might affect artists.

"Parallelo approached me to do two jobs, and one of them was for the Adelaide cabaret festival regarding the sedition laws which had come in. Having grown up in Spain I started drawing on that and where we are..." Palomares tells me during a brief break in rehearsals.

"I don't know if it's going to happen, but the sedition laws are now looking at being repealed. There was a bit of a mad rush to see if any artists were going to be charged, but none that I know of."

In the view of Palomares, governments the world over seem to have stampeded into legislation which erodes the rights of the individual, even if no really viable reason exists for having done so.

"We invented a South American country of 20 million people, an island state with close ties to America, and in the show we see America as sheriff to the region. You can see the parallels; in this region Australia seems keen to be seen as the deputy sheriff."

"What 'Dosostias' comes down to is showing this country as happy go lucky, then under the surface there's these laws which effect everyone. The show is eclectic; it's not a lineal show by any means."

Simon Palomares made his reputation as a co-director of 'Wogs Out Of Work', a happy-go-lucky smash hit. This show is a different beast, fueled as it is by his own circumstances and an appreciation for the artistic spirit. "We mix it up in this show. There's a feather boa striptease, and there's got to be humour and entertainment in it, because it's a cabaret show," he notes, "but it also about liberty and the erosion of human rights, and that's a vitally important message."

Alex Wheaton



'Dosostias' performs as part of the Cabaret Festival from Fri 9 June, proudly supported by dB Magazine