In a production marking the 25th anniversary of Footscray’s famed Women’s Circus, ‘The Penelopiad‘, 30 ordinary Australian women work on stage to tell tales of sisterhood and female power within a world of male control. A compelling story, their earthy version…
‘Where do the spirits go when the waters rise?’ This question sits at the centre of Western Edge Youth Arts‘ adaptation of Shakespeare’s wondrous play set on an island, The Tempest, which six performers from Melbourne’s West have reframed as climate…
Ah, Chekhov. Where hanging out with your loved ones can become a drag, ending in tears. Where supposed good times are usurped by long-held enmities, grudges, and gossip. In the expert hands of Red Stitch Theatre Company’s Australian premiere of…
Warning: strong masculine themes. ‘Rust and Bone’, directed by Daniel Clarke, is a violent portrayal of today’s Everyman. Welcome to the testosterone- and adrenaline-induced world of Eddie, James, and Ben. The script, by Caleb Lewis, combines the three men’s stories….
The Poppy Seed Theatre Festival‘s mission has artists swooning. Put simply, the festival aims to ‘help artists excel’. They achieve this goal by providing a select number of curated projects with cold hard cash, a theatre venue, and a publicist. In…
Full disclosure – I had high expectations when I heard that Nakkiah Lui’s new play was opening at the Malthouse. ‘Blaque Showgirls’ did not disappoint. The play follows ‘light skinned ‘blaque’ girl’, Ginny Jones (played by Bessie Holland), who dreams…
He may be diminutive in size but he towers in stature. His legend is known worldwide but he is a local Melbourne man. His voice is rich and calloused, bearing testament to the artistic excellence and grace of a man…
He’s back. From the post-Depression 1930s, the vaudeville stages of London, and the backlots of Hollywood. It’s the man with three eyebrows, in the tuxedo jacket and pin-striped pants, a fat cigar, and an ability to talk underwater. It’s Groucho…
When hope is dashed against the rocks of reality, and clouds of pessimism obscure all dreams, what becomes of love? This is one of the main questions put to us by ‘Blessed’ — though I might also be speaking of the recent…
‘Deceptive Threads’, by David Joseph and Karen Berger, is a journey of self-discovery through investigation of family history. Joseph is both deviser and performer of this honest and humorous performance. Embodying family members, he tells stories of origin, community, and…