Can you feel it? Your heartbeat? That ever-pulsating life force that connects you to your passions, the world, people.

If your wanderings lead you to Moana Hall at the right time, on the right night you will find that the heritage listed building has a Great Gatsbyesque vibe. At one end of the room there are columns and arches filled with bottles of spirits and liquors as well as green velvet-clad circular booths. And at the other end of the room is where “perhaps a theatre company” have crafted their stage.

Fairy lights are haphazardly shaped around the perimeter and sometimes the audience may shift themselves slightly onto the stage and the players spill into and out of the audience, constantly playing with the fourth wall that never really existed and if it ever did it is certainly taken apart piece by piece in this production that effectively speaks to the hearts in the audience through storytelling.

We are introduced to five players and four off-siders who appear to be responsible for production. However, as music builds, lights pulsate and sound moves through the space it is a little unclear as to who is responsible for what, the vibe feels like an ethereal, spontaneous, pulsating, co-creation. It feels like a heartbeat.

Each of the players introduce themselves by signing their name in Auslan, communicating their pronouns, their ages and the way in which they define themselves, we come to meet a group of young artists and theatre makers who excitedly share their identities, each building upon the other, their purposes becoming more defined and tangible as they give voice to these and are seen.

The players are; The Hermit - this performer effectively brought people together, a visual artist and creator who powerfully delivered some of the most beautiful spoken-word poetry of the production, they seamlessly traversed between beautifully playing piano to providing vulnerable insights and calm, their character was a connector and a healer.

The Zealot is a change maker, as their story evolves we find why he has shrunk himself and made himself quieter to take up less space, they want to create art that changes the world and they capably share their story through a galactic soliloquy that is reminiscent of “The Little Prince”. They have their people with them and symbolically they become the foundation which he stands upon in a perfect balance of both vulnerability and strength.

The Perfectionist is a seeker of idealised, unattainable standards. Her need to traverse multiple worlds and the way in which pressure renders her unable to move at times is striking. This performer stood so fearlessly in their truth that their heart rendering performance deeply connected with the audience. Her platform is “heartbeat.” and she has us all listening.

The Cynic’s performance was bold and skilful. They represented the parts of each of us that take hold when we spend too much time letting our minds drive instead of our hearts. They moved between playing an electric drum kit, singing and storytelling with the ease of an adept and impassioned performer.

Rachel brought light and hope to the production, she embodied what it is to create with guileless joy. This performer also connected effectively with the audience to share her story.

Tortured artists is an analogy used far too often and it would be easy for a piece such as this one to feel self indulgent but instead this performance authentically spoke to the experiences of artists that connect deeply to the experiences of humanity. This piece commented on people hurting and sacrificing parts of themselves to exist, people hurting others and pointing to burnout, people desperately wanting to be seen, heard and held.

“heartbeat.” feels like fireworks, a gathering crowd, moments of play and childlike dreaming, poignancy, calamity, inertia, stylised movement, times of light and dark, moving shadows on the wall and then shining incredibly bright before there is peace. It is a phenomenally special Fringe-find and I hope we will see much more of this production company as they keep creating, keep dreaming and being the most authentic and honest performance I’ve seen this season.