One Punch Wonder is the first play in The Blind Eye Trilogy. It examines what it is to be a man in today’s society and how these expectations have led to acts such as one-punch crimes and domestic violence – acts that have become such an invasive part of Australian society.
The production uses the performance method of verbatim theatre, where performers draw upon real interviews to explore modern social ills and the discord between our values and our actions.
One Punch Wonder is a deep exploration into the hard-to-reach places of masculinity. It shines a spotlight on the dangerous behaviours and cultural pressures that lead to violence.
Set in a boxing ring, four actors manoeuvre around the space to give a one-punch perspective from victims, families, lawyers, doctors, police, and perpetrators. The performance incorporates projected images, recorded interviews and music to recount the tales of interviewees, as well as police and court transcripts.
It is the dynamic physical theatre performed by the four actors, Adam Leeuwenhart, Christian Tomaszewski, Elvin Lamprecht and Thomas Walkland, that has the most impact and resonates strongly with the audience. The movements and lifts are powerful and add to the emotive and violent nature of the piece.
The audience feels the emotion and heartbreak experienced by the interviewed family members as they learned their loved ones had been mortally wounded by a single punch. The actors move from scene to scene, and from victim statement to victim statement, with respect, dignity, compassion and emotional truth.
For many victims, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Writer and director Amanda Crewes has managed to weave the stories of families affected by such a violent act into an emotional, powerful and coherent narrative.
Using real people’s stories and words somehow makes the experience even more confronting and resonant for audiences. The statistics presented are equally rousing – eight deaths are attributed to one-punch acts of violence in Australia every year.
This production explores what it is to be a man and society’s expectations of men – what society means when it tells young boys to “be a man” – and questions how these messages and cultural conditioning might contribute to such violence.
One Punch Wonder is theatre that encourages people to think, to engage in conversation, and has the potential to change future societal expectations of what it is to be a man.
It is a production that needs to be seen, felt and discussed. And hopefully, through discussion, we can begin to change the cycle of violence; not only among men, but within Australian society as a whole.
One Punch Wonder tours metropolitan and regional areas of Western Australia. It is a must-see for schools and local communities.
Other productions in the Blind Eye Trilogy:
The Innocent Pawn
Taken directly from the mouths of experts, porn stars and everyday Australians, The second instalment of The Blind Eye Trilogy, The Innocent Pawn is a titillating, fun romp through raw and candid experiences of pornography that confronts boundaries about the over-sexualisation of men and women, examines our culture’s dangerous addiction to dopamine and dives behind the glitz and glam to expose the dark truth of the porn industry.
Is There Anybody Out There?
Aims to start the conversation about the uprising of domestic violence in our culture and asks the question: Does romantic love even exist and are we setting up our children for failure? Is there Anybody Out there plunges into the ice-cold truth of hard-hitting facts, professional perspectives, and personal stories of the violent epidemic infiltrating Australian homes. From classic whimsical fairytales of the past, to the bare-boned reality of the modern day, the play opens the door and exposes the ugly truth that is romantic love in our culture.
Blind Eye Trilogy: One Punch Wonder
Actors Hub Studio, 129 Kensington Street, East Perth
Performance: 12 November 2025
Information: www.actorshubperth.com.au
Image: One Punch Wonder (supplied)
Review: Craig Dalglish