The Oak Tree at Peninsula Farm by FiFi Productions

The Oak Tree at Peninsula Farm, Maylands
Photo Credit: FiFi Productions

On a balmy Saturday evening, my partner and I headed to one of our favourite spots - Peninsula Farm (a National Heritage building) - along the Maylands foreshore to watch The Oak Tree.

We were greeted by the soothing sounds of the musician Travis on keyboard with a spectacular backdrop of the river as the sun went down.

The flyer that had been displayed around Maylands had caught my attention with its themes of love and grief and the appearance of a ghost from historical times around the old oak tree.

Luckily for the theatre group, Peninsula Farm has a very beautiful and old oak tree – its grandeur making for a very natural centrepiece for the play's story line.

Lenny (Matthew McKail) and Kate (Fiona Blakely) are having a sea change moving from Mt Hawthorn to their new dream place at Byford, trying to leave their tragic past behind them. Unfortunately their problems are far from over as they encounter seemingly insurmountable challenges on the land and within their own marriage.

FiFi productions have crafted a beautiful piece to enact on the foreshore of the Peninsula Farm, and the enthusiastic audience gathered around the old oak tree made for an excellent night of atmospheric and intimate theatre and drama.

With clever use of screen projections interspersed with action to connect the story, it was interesting to experience that insights can come from anywhere (place, things, history, supernatural) and the story line made for a gripping evening of entertainment.

The Oak Tree is a charming and moving play that cleverly weaves historical snippets about the importance of place and history into its script.

Stay tuned for the next exciting production from FiFi Productions.

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