It is a great privilege, infrequently afforded, to see a preview performance of a new piece of art. Anticipation and stakes are high, energy is coursing, and artists – waiting in the wings – are ready to leave it all out on the line to ensure the piece will work the following night at the opening. The great expectations and the equally great support from the small, lucky audience, buoy the night along. Things may go wrong (I’ve been in preview audiences when props have broken, lines have been forgotten, the fourth wall dropped) but never mind, the show must go on. Nothing of the sort occurred at the preview performance of Speak Percussion’s newest offering Scream Star – a thrilling triptych of commissioned works for percussionists Eugene Ughetti, Kaylie Melville and Hamish Upton.

Scream Star by Speak Percussion. Photo © Bryony Jackson

In fact, you could be forgiven for thinking the trio were old hands at the delectable, complicated repertoire on show. The 90-minute prog rock/funfair/performance art hybrid was as slick as anything; closer to Sydney Theatre Company’s recent reimagining’s of A Picture of Dorian Gray and Strange Case...