Saturday 25 April 2026

Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday)

For fans of edgy, environmentally-sustainable, independent theatre, this is one for you. 3 Billion Seconds is a dark story that touches on a myriad of hot-button topics such as euthanasia, dementia, population pressure, abortion and even interracial affairs – with macabre even dark choices being made by our protagonists Daisy (Izabella Louk) and Michael (Victor Y Z Xu).

Blinking Light was founded by Izabella Louk in 2022 with a manifesto of creating low emissions (and I guess ultimately emissions-free) theatre. And I have to agree this was evident in the paucity of props, costumes and sets (Mia MacCormick executed brilliant work under such dire conditions). Even the sand that served as the floor to the action throughout the play was borrowed from another short film set.

Our two actors played a variety of characters, switching between them in a flash of lighting change (Caity Cowan). While this was easily achieved in the beginning, when the pace was less frantic – by a simple device of hair-play or the addition of a stethoscope (whoops there goes the budget) – it became harder to keep up as the transformations became more rapid and hectic. When Louk was slipping between characters on almost every subsequent line employing a simple piece of fabric, I think even she must have had trouble keeping up. The limits of our imaginations were further stretched by Michael’s ailing father being portrayed by both actors at different times – ameliorated somewhat by that tired old beanie.

Writer, Maud Dromgoole, hammered home her themes with the subtlety of a power tool. KXT is in a predominately university precinct on Broadway, and we saw many earnest young students eating in cheap restaurants on our way there. Yes it took me back in time as did the heated discussions of our two protagonists that reminded me of young university students testing out their ideas (and abilities to argue them) on each other, and fair enough we’ve all had our go at that: arguing albeit the same issues then as now, hoping to come up with solutions to seemingly unsolvable world problems. The principle theme was that of population pressure, and when they turned to spreadsheets for solutions to a complex problem such as that, their logic became derailed. Slowly they descend into a psychopathic even sociopathic dystopic scenario where one life can be measured against another as a zero sum game.

When one of the characters asked the audience for a show of hands as to who was over 25 then proceeded to describe those who raised their hands as old, I began to suspect we were in the wrong place – a shocking realisation that we were the intended victims of Dromgoole’s manifesto, scarily reminiscent of the sci-fi movie Logan’s Run. This is ageism taken to a whole new level, it’s one that I find very uncomfortable, but essentially that was the point.

3 Billion Seconds is an ambitious play, undertaken with bravery and bravado. While the eco-friendly ethos may create challenges, Blinking Light should be commended for rising to, and prevailing over those challenges. The creative team put on an earnest and worthy show, tackling many difficult topics with unrelenting gusto. I think some of the rougher edges could have been ironed out with a bit more time in development, but this is the stuff of independent theatre. Keep fighting that good fight and forge your way uninhibited into a brave new world – perhaps just leave us oldies to rest on the couch.