play. - Fringe World 2026

Reviewed by Rachel Doulton

---

Robbie is looking for someone to play with. But at some point, everyone grew up and packed away their childhood toys to gather dust and be forgotten. From the creative minds of Perhaps Theatre, play. is part theatre performance, part workshop that coaxes you to reconnect with the vessels that sparked your imagination as a kid and reflect: why did we stop playing?

Hosted at the State Library’s Geographe Room, Robbie Fieldwick invites us into a small, intimate space with traverse seating, putting the audience right amongst the action. The nostalgic favourites like LEGO and chess are littered in disarray throughout, with a series of lamps that are effectively used for atmosphere and as conduits for play. The show is underscored by sound design by Benjamin Vaughan, who has done a fabulous job of capturing the show’s fanciful nature, and Emmett Aster executes the tech flawlessly.

We, as the audience, are immediately put to work to set up each game and given tasks throughout. While we’re engaging in each game, Robbie tells us stories of their own childhood and the ways that play interweaved with the people around them growing up. Through playing, these people became the most influential in their lives and in how they could connect.

Fieldwick is fully present with the audience, and their whimsical energy is endearing to watch. They easily transition between the theatre and play aspects of the show, so that it starts to feel like you are in conversation with them or a part of some kind of therapeutic wellness seminar that is encouraging you to reconnect with the quietened inner child. You never stay in one idea for long enough; one thought leaps to the next that informs the next game, which may get resolved, but often does not, which in itself captures the erratic nature of a child in play.

Perhaps Theatre aims to blur the lines of traditional theatre with play, movement, poetry, and music and play. hits all those marks. play. is a charming show that makes you want to dust off the box of toys in the back of your parents' garage or attic and discover that we have never really stopped playing; we may just have put it on pause, or found different channels or outlets that are more grown-up. 

Reviewer Note: TIckets for this review were provided by the theatre company.