DO WE pretend we don’t understand consent to push our own agendas – or are we genuinely confused?

It’s a question explored in Implied Consent at The Actors’ Hub, after more than 50 interviews were conducted with people from a diverse range of backgrounds.

“The show gives a 360-degree perspective on what people believe consent is, giving an often harrowing exploration as to how they imply it,” director Amanda Crewes said.

“Many were nervous to talk about it – Implied Consent presents challenging and diverse perspectives on where the line sits in such a grey area.

“We take this unvoiced issue and, through real people’s stories, show how implying consent to the small things can spiral out of control.

“This insidious epidemic needs to be taken back to the basics of care, compassion and tolerance.”

Implied Consent is the second in a trilogy of plays from The Actors’ Hub exposing a culture that needs to be redefined, following the subject of coward punches in One Punch Wonder.

All use the genre of verbatim theatre, using the exact words of people interviewed.

“The actors aim to give as accurate a representation of the interviewees as possible,” Crewes said.

“It’s always a challenge to present the material in a way that is engaging, especially given the subject matter can get quite heavy at times.

“We want to do justice to all sides of the argument, so all the stories need to be told.

“But how do you tell the big stories delicately and the small ones richly without distorting the truth in any way?”

Crewes said the idea of using theatre to demand cultural change – and the possibility of Implied Consent starting that change – excited her.

“We have allowed ourselves to be drawn into technologically-induced isolation to a point where we have forgotten how to relate to each other, perhaps even forgotten what it means to be human,” she said.

“Theatre is the best place to explore that because we go to see and understand ourselves to make sense of what is going on around us.”

Implied Consent plays at 7pm August 17 and 18. Tickets are $30, $25 concession – book at www.trybooking.com/XGVH.    

The Actors’ Hub is at 129 Kensington Street, East Perth.