Things I Know To Be True Analysis

A blue haze is washed over the stage as the lights suspended above cast shadows on the stage floor. Gobos light up the stage and spots pan over the audience, pulling in every sense of intrigue and curiosity within the audience. A ringtone is heard as the stage lights dim, a man appears in a spotlight leaning, virtually reaching out, but he seems to hold himself back, delaying the phone call for fear of what it might be.

In Things I Know To Be True, Andrew Bovell shines light on a modern day Australian family and reveals an unacknowledged truth about the struggles we face within our own families. Unlike the standard narratives structure, Things I Know to Be True, presents as an abstract performance narrating the last year of Frans life through …show more content…
As this continues, the children approach them, wrapping around them in embrace, one by one repeatedly, showing the attachment the children have to the parents and the connection that they will always have with them no matter what. While they continue to dance Ben begins his monologue as the focus turns to him, the music ceases and a yellow spot light shines above him as he talks about his experience within the family and unbeknownst to the audience at the time that each monologue performed by the children in the play is a key element in the narration of Frans life. This allows a deeper emotional connection to be formed between audience and on stage as they establish a relationship with Fran through memories.

Andrew Bovell’s Things I Know To Be True is an exploration of expectations from parents or family. The cycle of life is explored through the family, exposing the fragility of life and the under appreciation children have for their parents. Andrew Bovell communicated this by allowing the audience to form a firm connection to the family, effecting the audience in many deep and emotional ways leaving them