Sydney performer Katie Lees takes on the office temp life in her one woman show Temporary, exploring the working environment of an inner-city office. What follows is a relatable, but funny, spot-on experience of modern-day workplaces.

Held in the upstairs Loft theatre space at The A Club, Temporary has Katie Lees take on the character of Amy, a temp receptionist at an ergonomics company. The audience gets to experience a particularly hectic day in her work life, starting with the grind of the work commute, to the climactic ending after dealing with multiple issues and annoying co-workers all day. The space was a great size for this particular show as it allowed for Lees to use the entire room for her performance, as well as for the audience to feel almost like they are in the office with her. The fact that it was a really warm night actually helped set the scene for a stifling office environment as well.

Lees is a very skilled performer, and Temporary derives humour from the mundanity of everyday office life, as well as the ridiculous demands self-important colleagues make to fellow workers. In fact, Lees was so skilled at conveying office life that at times the relatability was almost depressing. Lees has written a show that cleverly pokes fun at the universal working experience, with the highlight being Lees’ impression of the company’s corporate-speak spouting Executive Assistant. This was a perfectly written and performed character, with a lot of the show’s humour derived from the relatability and absurdity of her behaviour.

Katie Lees has created a show which is simultaneously funny and relatable, to the point the full horror of the office work experience is on display. If you have ever worked somewhere with a team of people, then Temporary would be a familiar experience. This time though you get the chance to laugh at another workplace’s misfortunes rather dealing with your own. Check out Temporary if you want a safe space to laugh at the behaviour of your worst co-workers.

4 Stars

Temporary runs until Tuesday 26^th of February. Buy tickets HERE.

By Tania Nicholas