WORDS BY ALINA IVANOVA 

Having previously performed in Great Britain, the United States, and across Europe, Chabot’s 'Trilogy' brought a unique performance to students at Clayton.

At Monash University’s The Count’s Theatre, author, theatre maker and artistic director Clyde Chabot performed her spoken word performance titled, ‘Trilogy’.

Featuring four of the university’s own student musicians, the performative piece was reimagined with the founder of Melbourne School of Tarantella, Rosa Voto, who danced and accompanied the musicians at emotive moments in the performance.

Sicilia, the first of the three-part theatre piece, included Chabot subverting traditional theatre stage conventions and engaging all the senses with her words. 

The performative artist invited the audience to sit around a grand, white blanketed table like family as she recalls her own relatives' split migration path from Sicily to the United States, and from Sicily to Tunisia and then to France. 

On the table was a plate of Pecorino Pepato, a Sicilian cheese, which was one of the last remnants of her cultural heritage.

In an interview, Clyde Chabot discussed the symbolism of her theatre piece.

"The performance itself is really aiming at inviting people to connect with their own, familial and political history" she said.

In the following act, ‘A Soldier’s Daughter,’ Chabot shared the story of her father who was a soldier and memories of both grief and joy, over rejoining the dinner table.

The trilogy concluded with ‘Chicago: Reconstitution.’ Though it is the finale, Chabot spoke of beginnings. From the premature birth of her daughter in the US, to witnessing the years of her daughter growing up, the last segment recounted the emotional journey of rediscovering one’s native land and navigating a country that is not yours.

"The history of the world is colonialism,” Chabot said. “The first time that I [performed] it abroad, especially in Great Britain…[the British audience] didn’t share the same stories."

"It is important to know one’s personal and collective history." 

Chabot, was asked about the significance of sharing this history.

"In my mother’s family, people did not speak about things, the memory was as if it was closed," she said. 

"Without the memory, it doesn’t give strength."

Chabot’s performance also left a positive impact on the Monash University students involved.

Crew and Lighting Assistant, Elaine Li, said that "since [she] was a child, [she'd] been longing to be part of the theatre."

Clyde included Elaine Li to speak a few lines in Chinese as part of the final act which gave a connection to her hometown.

Chabot’s 'Trilogy' has plans to go across Australia and New Zealand.

Aotearoa, New Zealand, has a colonial history and confronted the loss of the Māori language, Chabot explained.

'Trilogy' tied in the past with the ever-changing present. Themes of immigration, colonialism, and heritage are all embedded in Chabot’s performance with subtle ease and continue to reflect the world today.

To follow Chabot’s journey, check out her website here.