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BOMBSHELLS 2019 by Joanna Murray Smith

The young woman who needs the dress, the mother fraying at the edges, the older woman who remains a sexual being – Comedic stereotypes of women who inhabit our world that explode into deeper truths about being unseen.

In a world of empowered women why does the idea of marrying a taller older man persist. Sometimes the feminist project overlooks the plight of the less radical. A lot of young people and young women feel pushed away from the concept of feminism. Perhaps a look at the invisibility of normal women (whoever they might be) is what is need to continue the work of achieving gender equality.

Prices

$16 per student (minimum total fee $1600)

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COSI 2019 by Louis Nowra

AVAILABLE NOW!

Cosi invites audiences to share Lewis’ journey as he overcomes his prejudice regarding mental health and discovers the power in the silliness of a Mozart Opera. Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam moratorium, Lewis’ friends are trying to stop the suffering of thousands while he is learning about a different kind of politics. Sometimes art that’s not political can have political effect as it brings us together to play and laugh. Sometimes the the unheard voices are not those that cry out under oppression but those who our society has simply forgotten.

Prices

$16 per student (minimum total fee $1600)

TWELVE ANGRY MEN 2019 by Reginald Rose

When a single juror stands up against peer pressure and votes “Not Guilty” in a seemingly open and shut case it becomes clear why jurors need to deliberate and discuss. The defendant is the faceless other – the only thing we know that he is poor and yet the process reveals how the jurors and in fact the audience project their prejudices onto him. In addition to unpacking the narrative, the workshop investigates the construction of characters, and other dramatic elements, to present a reading of the play as a study of the power of language and one’s ability to create persuasive arguments.

Prices

$16 per student (minimum total fee $1600)

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TWELFTH NIGHT 2019 by William Shakespeare

Please register your interest for this text. We will confirm availability with sufficient interest from schools.

Revelry and sanctioned rule-breaking can help to keep the social structure strong. When Viola becomes unwittingly caught in a love triangle, confusion cascades on the house of the Duke Orsino. When true identities are revealed, love smiles upon all the lovers – except for one. This workshop investigates questions of social mores and social gameplay in our exertion of power over each other. What happens when we are not careful about those not invited to play in the game?

Prices

$16 per student (minimum total fee $1600)

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF 2019 by Tennessee Williams

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Lies can keep families and society afloat, but inevitably the truth will out. At Big Daddy’s birthday celebration, the Pollitt family find themselves forced to face their own inner truths; a challenge at which they mostly fail. This workshop examines issues of family, masculinity, homosexuality, and Williams’ recurring theme of alcoholism. Williams has a magical way of showing the beautiful fragility of how we all have lies we hang on to.

Prices

$16 per student (minimum total fee $1600)

BLACK DIGGERS 2019 by Tom Wright

(Studied in comparison to The Longest Memory by Fred Daguiar)

Over 1000 indigenous Australians served in WWI and yet their contribution remains almost unrecognised. This play is like pieces of an exploded bomb resurfacing from the mud; fragments and missing voices in an epic tale of triumph and disaster. It speaks of the struggle indigenous men faced trying to enlist in the war, of rare moments of racial equality on the battlefield, and of our post-war disregard for our Black Diggers.   The First World War and the formation of our concept of our national identity are closely interwoven. Informed by indigenous actors and cultural specialists we will explore how the play is riddled with symbols that we might otherwise miss; symbols that point to an ongoing war fought by indigenous Australians for recognition.

The Longest Memory is a brutal portrayal of American slavery. As an historical context in which oppression has been voiced and acknowledged it offers parallels that makes it easier to see and accept what has been and still is happening in our own backyard.

The sounds of Australia. Gunfire!

Prices

$17 per student (minimum total fee $1700)

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MEASURE FOR MEASURE 2019 by William Shakespeare

AVAILABLE NOW!

What happens when a stickler for law and order is left in charge? Set in Vienna, Measure for Measure sits uncomfortably in tragicomic territory. Does it poke fun at the superficiality of love, morality, power and corruption, or use comic façade, costumes and mistaken identities to investigate the darker nature of these concepts.

Viewed through the contemporary Australian lens of legislation on gay marriage one take on the play might be a satire about state involvement in people’s private sex lives. This workshop balances thematic exploration with a look at a variety of comic forms.

If the law hath slept maybe we need to ask who was it in bed with? Is the law for the good of the people or are certain people using it for their own good?

The law hath not been dead, though it hath slept

Prices

$16 per student (minimum total fee $1600)

MEDEA 2019 by Euripides

AVAILABLE NOW!

Performance

The tale of Medea is dark and potent like a witches brew. It is so epically tragic that without seeing the text brought to life by performers, it is difficult to imagine it as a plausible reality. Our production uses an elegant minimalistic design as a meeting point between the world of the Greeks and our own. This ensures that nothing distracts from the story of a woman’s rage when facing a world of misogyny and a battle that is fought at the cost of our innocence.

Workshop

The performance we offer is obviously a feminist reading of both the character of Medea and the play. In the workshop key scenes are used to explore a range of other readings including ones that depict Medea or the folly of human emotion as the cause of the tragedy. Additionally, we investigate how the role of the chorus might be variously interpreted.

Of all creatures that have life and will, we women are the most wretched

Prices

Short performance only $13 (minimum total fee $1300)
Short performance + workshop $16 (minimum total fee $1600)

ROMEO AND JULIET 2019 by William Shakespeare

Performance

“I saw Shakespeare, it wasn’t hard and dont tell anyone but I may have even liked it.” This is the sort of thing we want to hear when students see this show. The dramatic style of this performance mirrors the narrative, creating an exciting ride for our young audiences. Initially they are drawn into reckless abandon, in a world of period costumes, playful sword fights and comedic characters, as Romeo and Juliet fall in love only to have the joy and frivolity fade as the tragedy sets in and we all fall together.

Workshop

Students are guided to ask questions and talk about the performance; what they understood, what they liked or didn’t. We often hear the comment that Romeo and Juliet is a play about two dumb teenagers and lust. We explore this idea so students see how what seems to be an off-hand comment could form the basis of a valid reading. Then we challenge this idea by looking at different portrayals of the main characters that might make the love-at-first-sight narrative more appealing. Where time and the level of the group permits we also look at how creative choices can be used to explore essay prompts such as “Who is to blame?” and “Is love or hate the more powerful force?”

“O teach me how I should forget to think”

Prices

Short performance only $9 (minimum total fee $900)
Short performance + workshop $11 (minimum total fee $1100)

Reserve your spot