ROOMMATES are an essential part of the young adult experience. From the college dorm room, to moving in with your BFFs to cut the cost of living, to the desperate apartment hunting that you hope doesn’t end with your body being dumped in a ditch, roommates are an important life checkpoint.

 

Sometimes, having a roommate is wonderful; you’ve got someone to talk to, hang out and eat with—someone who makes your shared apartment a home away from home. But then there are times when you think having somebody else sharing the same space with you isn’t as fun as what you see in any episode of “Friends.”

 

Such is the premise of “Share House,” an Australian touring musical production created by Topology, a post-genre quintet comprised of classical musicians.

 

“The story is about unrequited love, fear of the unknown and going beyond your comfort zone. The personas of the characters are loosely based on their real-life experiences and relationships. In fact, one of the romantic storylines is a true-to-life account of how two of the band members ended up together,” said Gabby Villaraza-Gregory, Topology production, marketing and design manager.

 

Top musicians

 

Topology is made up of Australia’s most talented classical music performers.

 

John Babbage studied saxophone at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and has worked extensively around Australia with various groups including Queensland Orchestra, Tony Hobbs Big Band Theory, Nasty Saxophone Quartet with Dale Barlow, and Big City, with whom he released an album of his own music.

 

Violinist Christa Powell is quite the Jill of all musical trades and plays a wide range of chamber music. She also plays with the Queensland Orchestra and has learned from well-known music teachers like Elizabeth Morgan, Emmanuel Herwitz of the Melos Ensemble, and Carmel Kaine of the Queensland Conservatorium.

 

Bernard Hoey studied viola at the Queensland Conservatorium and at Michigan State University with John Graham and the acclaimed violist Robert Dan. He has performed with the Arlington Quartet and the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra. At present, he is the associate principal violist of the Queensland Orchestra, playing solo in works such as the sixth Brandenburg Concerto.

 

Bassist Robert Davidson’s credentials are no less remarkable. Before joining Topology, he was a bassist in the Australian Opera, Sydney Symphony and Queensland Symphony Orchestra. He has been featured in many music festivals and his compositions such as “Glare” and “Landscape” are regularly performed, recorded and broadcast around the world.

 

Davidson’s works have commissioned and played by Australia’s professional orchestras and many leading festivals, soloists and ensembles including the Brodsky Quartet in London and Newspeak in New York.

 

Pianist Therese Milanovic is a seasoned performer, having worked with  Brodsky String Quartet,  Kransky Sisters, and Grant Collins, one of Australia’s best drummers. She has also performed in music festivals from Indonesia, Singapore to the Netherlands.

 

The concept of Share House was created collectively by Davidson, Babbage and Hoey. The music is influenced by the various backgrounds and interests of the principal artists who use creative processes derived from chamber music, progressive rock, jazz and indie music. They also sometimes incorporate modern audio and electronic effects in their recordings and live performances.

 

This style of Topology’s music, coupled with the physical aspects of storytelling on stage like movement, acting, lighting, sets and wardrobe, make productions like Share House unique and accessible to a wide range of audiences regardless of music preference.

 

The music and staging speak volumes. Topology toys with your emotions in this show without uttering a single word.

 

Cultural norm

 

While share housing is not a cultural norm in the Philippines as it is in Australia, Filipinos will relate to the concept of living in close quarters with the quirks of people who are very different from them.

 

Before moving back to Australia in 2009, Gabby lived most of her life in Manila with her family after being based in Brisbane for several years. After graduating from University of Asia and the Pacific, she decided to move out and live closer to her place of work.

 

“I shared a small apartment with two sisters who I barely knew,” she recalled. “The real icebreaker happened when we watched ‘Immortal Beloved’ and we all bawled our eyes out together.”

 

Gabby has since lived with other quirkier characters—such as one who loved eating tomatoes in any conceivable way possible, and another who was an extremely passionate football fan.

 

Babbage said his most interesting roommate was a veterinary student who had interesting “bits” thawing in the kitchen. “Thanks to a roommate, I’ve gotten the hang of how to brew homemade beer and keep up demand.”

 

For Hoey, sharing a house is definitely cheaper than living alone: “It can be fun and it can be quite irritating. You’re not able to play the music you want to hear at certain times because you have to be conscious of the hours when people would rather sleep.”

 

Davidson recounted: “In my share-housing days I had to make sure I was living with people who could cope with me practicing my music. I also had to give up on my ideas of eating what I liked. I used to have a roommate who believed that everything—including beans and lentils—needed to be soaked overnight. It didn’t make for a great dining experience.”

 

He added that he’d like to live with Mr. Darcy from “Pride and Prejudice” because he’d be someone who would respect one’s personal space and treat you with care and courtesy.

 

“I”d want to live with Winnie the Pooh,” said Powell. “I like his style and philosophical approach to life.”

 

Zero privacy, scheduling practice around a roommate’s night shifts, sharing a tiny kitchen with 14 people and having a shelf only in the fridge are some of the compromises Milanovic had to take. “I once lived in a glorified cupboard in London and slept on a blowup mattress for four  months!”

 

But for her, sharing a house isn’t all that bad: “I’ve learned many different ways of living a life, seeing other people’s priorities and interests. I’ve been lucky to have made many great friendships from share houses.”

 

Gabby has realized that people tend to naturally take on family roles in the household. There’s always a mother hen, who keeps the peace and ensures the household day-to-day is in order; an older brother/sister type who is strong, protective and always there to lend an ear or give advice; and a younger brother/sister type, who is hopeless when it comes to household chores but is a constant source of fun.

 

“Sometimes your role changes when you move from house to house, depending on who you’re living with and how you relate with them. These roles are important in ensuring the household and its residents all function together harmoniously as unit,” she said.

 

Why not Manila?

 

Currently, Topology is looking at doing an Asian tour. “We are also looking for interested parties to sponsor the Manila leg,” said Gabby. “We have already toured India, Indonesia and Singapore extensively, which is great, but I said, ‘Why does everyone always skip the Philippines?’”

 

The band hopes to stage “Share House” in Manila this October, with a portion of ticket sales to go to Habitat for Humanity’s housing projects for Supertyphoon “Yolanda” survivors.

 

Visit www.topologymusic.com