THE BLUE ROOM THEATRE ANNOUNCES SEASON ONE, APRIL – JULY 2015 PROGRAM EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2015
The Blue Room Theatre will launch their Season One, April – July 2015 program on Wednesday 25 March at 6.30pm. New artists, new work, new ways of making work. Season One is comprised of eight shows – all new works from emerging and established artists, some fresh faces to The Blue Room Theatre stage and others return visitors. You’re invited to discuss, debate and enjoy this eclectic program of shows crafted just for you, that’s different to what you’ll find anywhere else.
APRIL The Last Great Hunt presents Old Love, a new work about romance, love and the judgment of our peers, written by Chris Isaacs (Flood, Fag/Stag). It features Nicola Bartlett, Arielle Gray, Nick Maclaine and Tim Watts. 610 Productions' Armour explores whether men can really talk about their feelings. Written and directed by Tom Jeffcote (Picasso's Goldfinch), this confronting and suspense-filled drama explores masculinity in modern-day Australia.
MAY Once We Were Kings from Third Culture Kids is feisty and intensely lyrical, shedding light on a myriad of Muslim identities. Written by Dure Rey Khan, the show explores what it means to be young, queer and Muslim - a crescent-shaped peg in a Southern Cross-shaped hole. Under This Sun is a visceral new work by exciting young theatre-makers The Emergence Co., and follows the story of three twenty-somethings who renounce modern life and escape to the outback in a bid to find themselves.
JUNE The Epic by Finn O'Branagáin and Scott Sandwich will retell myths, epic texts and really good stories from around the globe, lovingly taking the stories you think you know and asking them to tell us another. One week only.
SEASON & VENUE MEDIA CONTACT Gemma Sidney, Marketing Manager gemma@blueroom.org.au 08 9227 7005 // 0415 363 671
JUNE (continued) Lockwood Productions' Jesus: No Ordinary Life, written and directed by Damon Lockwood, is set 2020 years ago, when the Church was... struggling. To increase attendance numbers, they decided to appoint a man who could perform astounding tasks - miracles, almost. A man called Jesus. Fracture is a story of grief, loss and coping - and what happens when coping fails. Written by firsttime playwright Lucy Clements and directed by Joe Lui (Giving Up the Ghosts, Letters Home). One week only.
JULY JULY Imprint Production's Songbird is presented in association with Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company and will run for two weeks only. Written by Shakara Walley (Confessions of a Pyromaniac), this is a drama of shared memories and a battle between forgiveness and sorrow, featuring live music and songs.
BOOKINGS Our shows sell out fast, so we encourage booking in advance via blueroom.org.au // 08 9227 7005. Our box office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm and one hour before show time. All tickets are $15 - $25.
DATES + PUBLICITY CONTACTS Old Love (14 April – 2 May) Jamie Breen // jamie@veryserious.com.au // 0468 721 634 Armour (21 April – 9 May) Kimberley Fulton // kim@showponymedia.com // 0408 710 685 Once We Were Kings (12 – 30 May) Tanya Dharmapala // tanya@dharmapala.com // 0414 172 397 Under This Sun (19 May – 6 June) Jamie Breen // jamie@veryserious.com.au // 0468 721 634 The Epic (8 – 13 June) Jamie Breen // jamie@veryserious.com.au // 0468 721 634 Jesus: No Ordinary Life (16 June – 4 July) Talei Howell-Price // taleihp@lnet.net.au // 0415 260 913 Fracture (22 – 27 June) Harriet Roberts // harriet_roberts@live.com.au // 0424 722 799 Songbird (7 – 18 July) Jamie Breen // jamie@veryserious.com.au // 0468 721 634 SEASON & VENUE MEDIA CONTACT Gemma Sidney, Marketing Manager gemma@blueroom.org.au 08 9227 7005 // 0415 363 671
Media Release For Immediate Release
OLD LOVE The Blue Room Theatre and The Last Great Hunt present
The Blue Room Theatre 14 April – 2 May
From Chris Isaacs, the award-winning writer of Flood and Fag/Stag, comes a new work about new love.
ABOUT THE LAST GREAT HUNT
Perth’s most exciting new theatre company The Last Great Hunt will debut their new work Old Love as part of The Blue Room Theatre 2015 Season 1 from 14 April to 2 May.
The Last Great Hunt is a new independent theatre company formed by seven of Western Australia’s best young theatre-makers.
Old Love is the sixth new work by The Last Great Hunt and follows the company’s highly successful Fringe World 2015 season.
ABOUT OLD LOVE Rob’s pretty smitten with Florence, and it’s easy to know why.
We are dedicated to creating original theatre in a variety of forms and styles. Our core collective of artists is: Adriane Daff, Arielle Gray, Chris Isaacs, Gita Bezard, Jeffrey Jay Fowler, Kathryn Osborne, and Tim Watts.
CREDITS
She’s full of kindness and honesty, looks at him when he speaks, holds herself well in different crowds, dresses beautifully, can speak four languages, is well-read and well-travelled, cares for her friends, helps the disadvantaged, and even knows the difference between ‘there’, ‘their’ and ‘they’re’. She sings and dances and lives and loves and never through any of it loses herself. She is close to being the perfect woman...
WRITTEN BY Chris Isaacs
And she’s twice Rob’s age.
FEATURING Nicola Bartlett, Arielle Gray, Nick Maclaine & Tim Watts
“For me Old Love shines a torch on how we are in relationships, what we expect from our friends, what we expect from our partner, and what we expect from ourselves, ” says writer Chris Isaacs. “When Chris came to me with the idea for Old Love he told me it was a response to taboos in relationships, going outside the norm and finding happiness for yourself rather than looking for it where you’ve been told to look,” says directer Jeffrey Jay Fowler. “Every day we’re inundated by immaculate images of flawless faces and physiques; it’s easy to understand why so many of us obsessively fear ageing and reject anyone who embraces it.” Old Love will challenge your ideas about romance, love and the judgment of our peers.
DIRECTED BY Jeffrey Jay Fowler DRAMATURGY BY Gita Bezard
OLD LOVE 14 April – 2 May | 7:00PM The Blue Room Theatre 53 James Street, Northbridge Bookings: blueroom.org.au or (08) 9227 7005
MEDIA ENQUIRIES Jamie Breen 0468 721 634 jamie@veryserious.com.au
www.blueroom.org.au www.thelastgreathunt.com
MEDIA RELEASE: Embargo: March 14, 2015. . The Blue Room Theatre and 610 Productions Present…!
Armour! Written and directed by Tom Jeffcote Season: 21 April - 9 May 2015 8.30 pm Tuesdays - Saturdays 6.00pm matinee Saturday 9 May The Blue Room Theatre Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge Bookings and info: ! blueroom.org.au / 9227 7005 ! Tickets: $15-$25 (Image credit: Xahlia Jeffcote)
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Can men really talk about their feelings?
Four participants in a men’s group go on a weekend retreat deep in the bush. They try to use music to access their feelings, but nothing goes to plan. !
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Grievances and secrets emerge that only serve to fuel the tension in the group as the men confront the reality of their emotional and physical isolation. Not only are the men under siege from each other, but from their feelings. Will the men remain divided and defeated or will they find a way out and a way forward?!
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This confronting and suspense-filled drama comes from Perth playwright Tom Jeffcote. It explores masculinity in modern-day Australia. Jeffcote’s previous work (Tough Love, Picasso’s Goldfinch) has been described as ‘top class’ and ‘finely crafted’. He has drawn inspiration for Armour from his many years working as a drug, alcohol and mental health counsellor. “I knew I wanted to write again and I wanted this piece to be about something I really cared about. There is this perception that Australian men don’t have feelings because they rarely talk about them. This raised a question in my mind as to whether there is a link between this generalisation and the fact that most suicides in Australia are of men and I wanted to set this question within an engaging story on the stage” says Jeffcote.
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The all male cast will include Matthew Kiely, Joel Sammels, Danen Engelenberg and Ben Weirheim. Armour will debut at The Blue Room Theatre, April 21- May 9, 2015. Director/writer/coproducer Tom Jeffcote as well as all members of the cast are now available for interview
MEDIA RELEASE: Embargo: March 14, 2015. . and photo opportunities.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Kimberley Fulton T. 0408 710 685 E. kim@showpony.media.com
ONCE WE WERE KINGS
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A YOUNG, QUEER AND MUSLIM MIGRANT Crescent-shaped pegs in a Southern Cross-shaped hole.
Third Culture Kids will present the world premiere of Once We Were Kings at The Blue Room Theatre from 12-30 May as part of the Season One, 2015 program. Depicted through both personal accounts and imagined encounters, Once We Were Kings is feisty and intensely lyrical, with moments of dark humour. Written by Dure Khan and directed by Mustafa Al Mahdi, Once We Were Kings sheds light on the myriad of Muslim identities that are often sidelined, silenced and closeted by communities and the mainstream media. Drawn from stories of struggle and disillusion and woven together with fantasy, Once We Were Kings explores what it means to be young, queer and Muslim in today’s Australia. For Khan, the story draws from her own experiences. “The play started out as a means to make peace with my own multifaceted identity many years ago and has now taken on a life of its own. My sincerest hope is that it starts much needed conversation in the Muslim community and broader society about what it means to be young, religious and queer. I also hope it helps other queer or questioning Muslims find themselves and one another. We are not Haraam, and we are not alone.” The essence of such a powerful message is what drew Mahdi to the project. “This project will not only inspire young minorities to speak out, but to do so artistically.” The show will be complemented with a special art exhibition displaying pieces from artists who have been censored in their own countries. Third Culture Kids' mission here is to give a voice to the voiceless and disenfranchised, relating the struggles of real people to the issues explored in the play.
ONCE WE WERE KINGS 12 – 30 MAY 2015 THE BLUE ROOM THEATRE, PERTH CULTURAL CENTRE, NORTHBRIDGE BOOKINGS & INFO: blueroom.org.au / 08 9227 7005
Media contact: Tanya Dharmapala tanya@dharmapala.com / 0414 172 397 / oncewewerekings.co
O N C E
W E
C A S T
W E R E
K I N G S
&
C R E W
ALEX KANNIS
TANYA DHARMAPALA
ANGELA MAHLATJIE
SOLAYMAN BELMIHOUB
CLAIRE MOUCHEMORE
NAOMI DENNY
JAKE DENNIS
DURE KHAN
DEVON LOVELADY
MUSTAFA AL MAHDI
DEVON LOVELADY is a renowned lighting designer that has graduated from ‘The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts’. Devon developed a personal style in lighting design working in various ‘Fringe World Festival’ shows and producing iconic designs for ‘Neil La Bute’s Distance From Here’ at the ‘State Theatre’. Devon finds inspiration for various genres of theatre and dance in everyday life.
DIRECTOR / PRODUCER
S TA G E MANAGER
CLAIRE MOUCHEMORE comes from an extensive performance and production background, working with directors and companies including ‘Robert Wilson’, ‘NoFit State Circus’, ‘Black Swan State Theatre Company’ and ‘The Perth International Arts Festival’. Claire studied dance, performing arts and education at ‘The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts’ and ‘Edith Cowan University’.
DURE KHAN is a poet, writer and multidisciplinary artist originally from Peshawar, Pakistan. ‘Once We Were Kings’ is her first theatrical piece and was written over a period of 7 years. Khan uses her work to explore themes of identity, isolation and belonging from the perspective of Queer, Muslim migrants.
LIGHTING DESIGNER
ACTOR
SOLAYMAN BELMIHOUB is a French actor coming from a background in classical theatre at a renowned acting school in Paris. Starting his career with stand up comedy in popular comedy clubs in Paris, through to French television shows and advertisements including ‘Apple’ and ‘BMW’, Solay moved to Australia to diversify his acting career.
JAKE DENNIS is a singer, actor, and poet with sell-out shows ‘DownStairs at the Maj’, ‘Fringe World’, and ‘Ellington Jazz Club’, performing in and managing his ‘Mint Jazz Band’. His poetry has been published in ‘Westerly’ among other popular art journals. He took first place at the ‘2014 Right Now Human Rights’ poetry competition with a poem about queer identity and race.
WRITER
ACTOR
ANGELA MAHLATJIE is a a talented young actress, currently in her second year at the ‘GAP II’ extensive actors programme at ‘The Actors Hub’. She has been a regular performer at the ‘LAB’ in the ‘Subiaco Arts Centre’ and has roles in several local productions. Angela had her debut ‘Fringe World’ performance earlier this year.
NAOMI DENNY is an actress and member of the ‘UK National Youth Theatre’. Most recently, she has been involved in ‘Spring Awakening’ with ‘Fresh Bred Productions’, ‘Punk Rock’ with ‘The Western Australia Youth Theatre Company’, and ‘Bad News’ in the ‘2015 Fringe World Festival’ with the ‘Chaos Ensemble’.
ACTOR / SINGER
PUBLICIST
TANYA DHARMAPALA comes from a background of business, marketing and publicity. She is now working in film and majoring in producing. With a few wacky short titles to her name, and occasionally dabbling in the performing arts. She likes being incredibly busy and can be trusted with paperwork.
ACTOR
CODIRECTOR
ALEX KANNIS is a writer, amongst other things. He cofounded literary and arts journal ‘Dotdotdash’ Magazine and bimonthly spoken word extravaganza ‘Ships in the Night’. He has performed as a slam poet at ‘Cottonmouth’ and the ‘ABC Australian Poetry Slam’. Alex spends his evenings training Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing. He is currently writing his first novel.
MUSTAFA AL MAHDI is a director and designer with a background in film and advertising. He is also the founder of ‘Studio Damascus’. Al Mahdi has been involved with several production houses and advertising studios, bringing to each project his vibrant style and crisp minimalist aesthetic. Following a distinctive holisitc approach to theatre, he aims to translate ‘Once We Were Kings’ from page to stage in his directorial debut.
oncewewerekings.co
Media Release
Embargo until 26 March 2015
UNDER THIS SUN The Blue Room Theatre and The Emergence Company present
From exciting new contemporary theatre company, The Emergence Co. comes a visceral new work about the annihilation of the Australian outback dream. Under This Sun is the first work by The Emergence Co. and will run from 19 May – 6 June at The Blue Room Theatre. A new work featuring three interweaving tales of discovery and isolation that combines physical theatre, poetry and storytelling. It features the original poetry and prose of Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson, and is accompanied by an indie folk soundtrack.
The Blue Room Theatre 19 May – 6 June
ABOUT THE EMERGENCE CO. The Emergence Co. believes in the unique power of live performance to connect with people. We aspire to move people and the spirit with theatrical magic, exploring a collaborative multidisciplinary practice to keep theatre relevant and engaging to contemporary audiences.
ABOUT UNDER THIS SUN
CREDITS
Within the red desert sits a lonely yellow umbrella. It offers no shelter.
DIRECTED & PRODUCED BY Warwick Doddrell
Cooper wakes to find himself abandoned in the bush. Grace retraces her brother’s letters into the desert. Jeremy follows in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and travels to the heart of Australia in search of enlightenment. Three twenty-somethings renounce modern life and escape to the outback in a bid to find themselves. Instead, they’re confronted by the harsh reality they find waiting for them, and their romantic notions of adventure are annihilated beneath the harsh Australian sun. “Under This Sun is inspired by how we survive on this vast continent,” says director Warwick Doddrell. “Contemporary Australia didn’t happen without the hard work of generations of people struggling against the odds and the elements. In today’s urban environment, I want to rekindle and re-examine this connection with the landscape.”
FEATURING Maja Liwszyc, Tristan McInnes & Peter Lane Townsend DESIGNER Tessa Darcey LIGHTING DESIGNER
Emily Crane
UNDER THIS SUN 19 May – 6 June | 8:30PM The Blue Room Theatre 53 James Street, Northbridge Bookings: blueroom.org.au or (08) 9227 7005
MEDIA ENQUIRIES Jamie Breen 0468 721 634 jamie@veryserious.com.au
www.blueroom.org.au
Media Release
Embargo until 26 March 2015
THE EPIC
The Blue Room Theatre and Finn O’Branagáin and Scott Sandwich present
Finn O’Branagáin and Scott Sandwich are part-time performance poets, full-time story enthusiasts, doubletime friends. From 8 – 13 June, join Finn and Scott at The Blue Room Theatre for an evening of epic tales and fantastic stories. The Epic is a new contemporary theatre work and a new genre of performance style. It blends the lyricism and chutzpah of storytelling with the global scope of pop anthropology.
ABOUT THE EPIC Dash back to the beginning as we retell and unpick myths, epic texts and really good stories from around the globe. Many of these stories have faded away over time – this show’s goal is to drag them into the modern world and make them relevant again.
“Touching, beautiful and unique...” (Envelope) Aussietheatre.com
The Blue Room Theatre 8 – 13 June
ABOUT FINN Finn is a writer and performer. She is the co-Artistic Director of Crack Theatre Festival. Finn’s work has been shown nationally, from every Australian Fringe Festival, to the Sydney Opera House.
ABOUT SCOTT Performance poet Scott Sandwich has had his work featured nationally and in galleries around Finland, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, and Benin.
CREDITS WRITTEN BY Finn O’Branagáin & Scott Sandwich PRODUCED BY Finn O’Branagáin
Our world may be different, and maybe we think we’re too modern, bitter, and cynical... But anyone can be a hero if you tell it right. Even two poets.
FEATURING Finn O’Branagáin & Scott Sandwich
“ Scott Sandwich steals the show...” (Woodford Folk Festival) Artshub
LIGHTING DESIGNER Joe Lui
“Scott and I love finding myths and stories that we haven’t heard before. We love the idea that we’re part of a centuries old tradition of retelling these stories - they were made to be told in person, as a way to talk about issues that were current,” says co-writer Finn O’Branagáin. From the cradle of civilisation to the one about the wooden horse, with heroes ranging from Gilgamesh to Vin Diesel, The Epic lovingly takes the stories you think you know and asks them to tell us another.
THE EPIC 8 – 13 June | 7:00PM The Blue Room Theatre 53 James Street, Northbridge Bookings: blueroom.org.au or (08) 9227 7005
MEDIA ENQUIRIES Jamie Breen 0468 721 634 jamie@veryserious.com.au
www.blueroom.org.au
THE EPIC By Finn O‘Branagáin & Scott Sandwich Media Kit The Blue Room Theatre, 8 - 13 June, 2015 PREVIOUS MEDIA QUOTES: “very touching, beautiful and unique” (about Envelope, written by Finn O’Branagáin, 2013) Sonny Clarke, Aussietheatre.com “overflows with ideas gently prodding the boundaries of theatre”, (about Envelope, written by Finn O’Branagáin, 2013) Ash Hauenschild, Creative Drinks “[Scott Sandwich] is a cult favourite around poetry events and underground gigs in Sydney, with his sharp humour, witty story-telling and the sheer amount of words he can fit into a single sentence. Mind-blowing stuff. He had the audience in fits of laughter, rolling about as his tongue rolled over his many jokes, his touching reflections on himself and his humble approach. No bullshit, just solid performance, enigmatic stage presence and killer poetry.” - Newtown Art Party Review, April 2014 “...Scott Sandwich steals the show, relating a date gone wrong after he ordered sticky date pudding...” - ArtsHub Review, Woodford Folk Festival “The winning poem was by Scott Sandwich, who performed with a manic look in his eyes and a tweak in his actions.” - AltMedia, Apr 2011 EXTENDED BIOS Scott Sandwich Performance poet Scott Sandwich has been featured in nationally and in galleries around Finland, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, and Benin. His video performance work "The Kalevala" has reached 26000 views since uploading to YouTube, and was included in MUU Gallery's DVD "Performance Voyage II". He created the ongoing music project Obscure Music History, and his latest work "Music Begins Where The Possibilities Of Language End" is currently shortlisted for The Lifted Brow's Experimental Non-Fiction Award. He is currently developing a new performance lecture "The Enthusiast's Guide To Musical Anarchists" with composer Tim Hansen as part of Music Aviva & Seizure's Words & Music program at Customs House in May 2015. He was featured artist at the 2013 Sydney Writers’ Festival, and the 2013 Queensland Poetry Festival. He won the Woodford Poetry Slam in 2011, was a finalist at the Australian Nimbin Performance Poetry World Cup in 2011 and 2012, and a finalist in the Australian National Slam in 2010. Under his alias Tom Hogan, he has been working as a composer and theatre devisor since 2009, working on over 40 productions in traditional and contemporary processes. His most recent designs include Mountain by Pilar Mata Dupont (2015, PICA, Perth) and You'll Be Sorry When I'm Dead by Tarryn Gill (2014, Moana Space, Perth), and the theatre productions This House Is Mine for Milk Crate Theatre (2015, Sydney), Animal/People for Unhappen (2015, Rock Surfers, Sydney), Trojans by Team Mess (2014, PACT, Sydney), Cough for Unhappen (2014, 107 Projects, Sydney), and Small & Tired (2013, Belvoir Theatres, Sydney). He is also the inhouse composer for Arthur Productions, creating The Mesh (2014, Red Stitch Theatre, Melbourne), Return To Earth (2013, Griffin Stables, Sydney), The Sea Project (2012, Griffin Stables, Sydney), and Cut Snake (2012 - 2015). His solo and collaboration projects include the installations Peer Gynt (2014), and Solveig (2014) with Pilar Mata Dupont, Side A, Side B (20132014) with Eleanor Jackson, A Lack Of Sincerity (2013, Rapid Prototype II, Sydney), and Monolith (2012, Tiny Stadiums Festival & First Draft Gallery, Sydney).
The Epic – Media Kit Finn O’Branagáin Finn is a writer, dramaturg, and theatre maker. In 2015 and 2014 she has been Co-Artistic Director (with Hannah Strout) of the Crack Theatre Festival, This is Not Art in Newcastle. Most recent works include: In 2014 she was one of the WA Writers in ATYP’s 4x4 Mentorship programme, working with director Adam Mitchell. She also had a reading of her experimental experiential work ‘When Leaving Earth, Please Turn Out the Lights’ for THAT Production Company, Ipswich. A 2012 graduate from NIDA’s Graduate Diploma of Dramatic Arts (Playwriting), she wrote 'Envelope' for The Vertebras as part of Backbone Youth Arts and Metro Arts' Elevate program, produced in 2013 at the Sue Benner Theatre Metro Arts. This play was based on stories from a survey completed by 210 participants with the question ‘how do you know when you are a grown up?’ In 2013 she also wrote for Painted Tree Productions, with performance poetry and physical theatre show '2880 Minutes Late' for the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Recent dramaturgy work includes for THAT Production Company development of ‘In My Steps’ for writer Future Destin Fidel (2014), Expressions Dance Company on 'Apples and Eve' as part of 'Propel' with director Lucas Jervies (2013), and for the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts for 'Salon' with director Timothy Brown (2013). In 2011 she completed an Australia Council JUMP Mentorship with playwright Lachlan Philpott, which saw readings of her work in Darwin at Tease Festival, the State Library of Queensland and at ATYP as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival. She also was part of the Australia Council Cultural Leadership Program, a Darwin Theatre Company Independent Artist, Backbone Youth Arts Ensemble Member, which produced two shows. She was an Express Media National Young Writers Month Ambassador, and had work published by Currency Press under ATYP. She has had work tour nationally with JUTE Theatre Company, and produced many shows with Corrugated Iron Youth Arts. Her work has been presented at the Darwin, Sydney and Melbourne Fringe Festivals, the National Young Writers’ Festival, Wordstorm, 2High, The World Theatre Festival, Tease Festival, National Science Week, and the Nightwords festival at the Sydney Opera House. She has been a finalist for the Australian Poetry Slam, and a finalist for the NT Young Achiever of the Year Award.
The Epic – Media Kit
IMAGE CREDITS Promo image of The Epic © Desmond Tan (top left) Scott Sandwich @ Queensland Poetry Festival, performing prototype of The Epic, 2013 (bottom left) Scott Sandwich @ Penguin Plays Rough, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 2013 (top right) Finn O’Branagáin @ Brave New Word, NIDA, 2012. Photo by Lisa Maree Williams (bottom right)
The Epic – Media Kit TWO PAGE EXTRACT OF SCRIPT: FINN: We start in the North Pole. The place with a happy myth. The myth of our childhood. Father Christmas. Who by now is halfway through deciding if you’re naughty or nice this year. The myth that asks us to be good. To be better than you could be. That offers rewards or punishments and magic. SCOTT: That myth also asked us to lie. Or to believe in lies, just for a little bit. Terry Pratchett (... “someone”) once said that this was just practice for being an adult; that the ridiculous lies of Santa and the Tooth Fairy and whatever… it was all practice, setting us up to believe in a lot of bigger lies when we got older - such as hope, and love, despite those things scientifically not existing in the world down to a molecular level. And yeah, for me, that was the most depressingly profound thing I’d ever heard. But now I’m older, I believe in hope and love! Yaaay. So I’m better now, and I’m really optimistic about the future! FINN: But the North Pole is melting. SCOTT: Yeah, but I believe in hope and love! FINN: Permafrost is dissolving. The ice caps are spreading out. This is a fact. SCOTT: Well, look, maybe it’s fact, but it’s my opinion that I can believe the human race will one day come together and… FINN: And while governments hold on to the myth of ‘there will be time later’ or ‘it’s my opinion that it’s not real and opinion is the same as fact’ or ‘someone else can worry about it’ Scientists are worrying about it now. There’s a movement called the Dark Mountain, for post-environmentalists, who’ve given up on the thought that we can change. Who have resigned themselves to the idea that we are doomed. Who are telling themselves stories of a possible future of a slow, natural apocalypse. The end of the world but more in an ‘interstellar’ way rather than ‘28 days later’ way. SCOTT: And maybe they’re right and we should give up - find a place in the woods and try to forget humanity, where we can believe whatever we want. FINN: Or maybe the hopeful people petitioning and marching are right – we should go down swinging. We should rage, rage against the dying light. SCOTT: Or maybe the people turning off the news are right and whatever is happening is happening FINN: and history will keep rolling its big old stone across the earth SCOTT: and maybe it will crush us FINN: or maybe it will block the sun
The Epic – Media Kit SCOTT: or maybe it will miss us completely FINN: and the new gadget will come out and Will & Grace will get another season by some miracle SCOTT: so why worry. FINN: But whoever is right, these are the facts. The ice is melting and we’re breathing air that has previously been trapped in the ice for thousands of years. Hundreds of thousands of years. The ice is melting and water is seeping out back in the ocean SCOTT: and is making giant ancient creatures of the deep come up and look at us with huge jelly eyes and saying I am not extinct after all - you don’t know everything - before turning tail and swimming down down down once more. FINN: The ice is melting and our history is rushing up and breathing into our nose and mouth. Our history is saying don’t forget there’s more to come. Our history is saying I’ve been watching and I know if you’ve been bad or good. FINN: So what will you get in the Christmas of the future? coal now or presence later? SCOTT: If you can’t tell, she is much better than me at profound zingers like that. FINN: We want to look around the world and back through history at other myths and epic tales. SCOTT: The stories that defined the nation, or the age, or whatever the person telling the story thought of those things. FINN: We’ll see what we still use, to see what we’ve left behind, to see who we were when we told each other these stories, and if we still are those folk somewhere deep down. SCOTT: To see where we’ve been, and where we’re going. FINN: What can we learn before the water takes us. What do we want to keep. SCOTT: I am Scott FINN: and I am Finn SCOTT: We’ll be your travel agents, tour guides, performance poets and posturing professors this evening. FINN: We’re going around the globe, and staying home. Home being where the heart is, inside your body, right now. SCOTT: Where shall we start? BOTH: Finland.
MEDIA RELEASE Embargo: Thursday 26 March 2015
The Blue Room Theatre and Lockwood Productions present
Jesus: No Ordinary Life 16 June – 4 July 2015 The Blue Room Theatre
Playwright Damon Lockwood follows up comedy hit I (honestly) Love You with a play that studies the celebrity of religion in his latest offering, Jesus: No Ordinary Life, which will premiere at The Blue Room Theatre as part of their Season One program, 16 June – 14 July. The play is set around 2020 years ago and the Church is struggling for attendance numbers. An advertising firm is hired and it is decided that a figurehead is required, someone attractive but also a man of the people, a person who can perform… miracles. Auditions are held and although the actual Jesus auditions for the role… he just doesn’t quite have the right look… “The seemingly constant abuse of power from an institution that purports selfless love I find saddening and shocking,” Lockwood says. “We have assembled an astounding cast to present a different but no less likely history of Christianity. And the play is as funny as hell.” Shane Adamczak is Jesus, Brendon Hanson plays the actor Jesus, and Andrea Gibbs appears as Mary, with the brilliant Talei Howell-Price, Sean Walsh and Nick Pages-Oliver playing a host of supporting roles.
MEDIA RELEASE Embargo: Thursday 26 March 2015
Quotes from the Edinburgh and New York Fringe Tour of I (honestly) Love You written by Damon Lockwood, first produced at The Blue Room Theatre (2013) include: ★★★★ "Hilarious, fast tracked romp" - Three Weeks "Sharp script, effortless comedy ability" - The Scotsman "Hilarious and worth seeing. Honestly" - Broadway Baby For more information about Lockwood Productions, visit www.damonlockwood.com.
Jesus: No Ordinary Life Venue: The Blue Room Theatre Studio, Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge When: 8.30pm Tuesdays - Saturdays, 16 June - 4 July (plus 6pm matinee Saturday 4 July) Tickets: $15 - $25 Available via: blueroom.org.au or 08 9227 7005 Writer & Director: Damon Lockwood Producer: Talei Howell-Price Featuring: Shane Adamczak, Andrea Gibbs, Brendan Hanson, Talei Howell-Price, Nick Pages-Oliver & Sean Walsh Stage Manager: Michael Maclean Sound Designer: Robert Woods Set & Costume Designer: Cherie Hewson
## ENDS MEDIA CONTACT Talei Howell-Price 0415 260 913 / taleihp@lnet.net.au
JESUS: NO ORDINARY LIFE (Cast Biographies) Damon Lockwood – Director and Playwright An actor, director and playwright. Damon’s recent play I (honestly) Love You toured WA, Edinburgh and New York. It was nominated for four Blue Room Theatre awards, and two awards at the Guild Awards, including Best Play. His play HorseHead, originally produced in Perth, had five seasons in Italy, and one in New York and Melbourne (La Mama). It won Best Play at the Roma Fringe Festival, was nominated for Equity Guild Award Best New Play and for Blue Room Theatre’s Member’s Choice award. Recently his play Needle in the Haystack was shortlisted in the Noosa One Act Competition to be announced in July. In 2013 Damon was Literary Manager at Black Swan Theatre Company and is currently an Artistic Associate. Talei Howell-Price – Producer and Actor Talei was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2012 and 2007 WA Equity Guild Awards and won the Best Screen Actor at the 2001 WA Screen Awards. Stage productions include Death of a Salesman (Black Swan State Theatre Co.), Refractions (Deckchair Theatre), Own Worst Enemy & Hot Dogs (Barking Gecko Theatre), The Brick and The Rose (Chapel Off Chapel, VIC), Kitchen, A Change In The Weather, I (honestly) Love You and Scarecrow (The Blue Room Theatre), and Falling Petals and Woyzeck for Black Swan Theatre's Hotbed program. She has appeared on film for Southern Star Entertainment, Jag Films, CM Films, WestOne, Mintox Media, Electric Pictures, Coral Lagoon and Granada as well as appearing in numerous TV commercials. She most recently played Katie Elliot in The War That Changed Us and Fay Mickelberg in The Great Mint Swindle. Shane Adamczak – Actor Shane graduated from WAAPA in 2003 and is a founding member and Artistic Director of independent Western Australian theatre company Weeping Spoon Productions. His most recent work includes his play Trampoline, Greg Fleet’s multi-award winning This Is Not A Love Song and Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show (as Brad Majors). He also gained critical acclaim for his portrayal of iconic Sex Pistols front-man Johnny Rotten in the award winning Canadian play Vicious Circles. He was also a cast member of award-winning LA Troupe Sound & Fury for their 2015 Australian Tour. Shane is also known for his alter-ego project Zack Adams (nominated for three Just For Laughs Awards in Canada) which has toured Australia and internationally over the last nine years. As an improviser he a senior player of improv-comedy troupe The Big HOO-HAA!, TheatreSports Champion and creator of cult-hit Captain Spaceship. Shane also recently appeared on screen in the mini-series The War That Changed Us, and the feature film Paper Planes. Sean Walsh – Actor Sean has been an active member of the Western Australian performing industry for over fifteen years. He has many theatre credits including the part of Alan Bond in Perth Theatre Company’s Taking Liberty, for which he won an Equity award (Best Supporting Actor). He has made several television appearances such as the documentaries Bom Bali and Desert War as well as the miniseries of Tim Winton’s Cloud Street and the web-series, The Legend of Gavin Tanner, Zac and Me and AshBecLee. Sean is also a member of the very successful improvisational comedy ensemble The Big HOO HAA! He is one of Australia's premier voice-over artists, heading campaigns such as Richgro, Kitchen Craftsmen, Powerball, Westnet, TAB, Ikea and many more. Sean has also studied Arts
JESUS: NO ORDINARY LIFE (Cast Biographies) Management at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and has worked in production for several years at the Awesome Arts Festival for Bright Young Things and the Perth International Arts Festival, most recently on The Giants. Nick Pages-Oliver – Actor Nick holds two Diplomas: Screen Acting, from FTI (Perth), and Directing, from Raindance Film School (London). He wrote, directed and co-produced four short films for acting students at Filmbites Youth Film School. He also wrote/directed, A Christmas Getaway, for The Cutting Room Floor’s Home Open (2013). Nick co-wrote, produced, and starred in Fish in the Sea (Bastard Theatre Company- 2015), which received great reviews, and was a finalist for the Martin Sims Award. Also on stage, Nick played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (Class Act- 2014), and Polar Bear, in The Magic Flute (West Australian Opera- 2014). He featured in the PIAF production You Once Said Yes (Look Left Look Right2014). In London, Nick produced, and was the First Assistant Director for the short film, What Now? (Watch The Door Productions- 2013) Nick has been a member of improvised comedy troupe, The Big HOO-HAA! since 2010. Andrea Gibbs – Actor Andrea Gibbs is an actor, comedian, improviser and storyteller. This year she was billed as “a revelation” by The Australian newspaper and recently brought Cate Blanchett to tears as the lead role in Griffin Theatre Company & Perth Theatre Company’s co-production of 8 Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography in Sydney. She is the co-creator of Barefaced Stories – the longest running storytelling night of its kind in Australia. As a comedian she won Triple J’s 2003 Raw Comedy and is a core member of Perth’s premiere improv-comedy ensemble The Big HOO-HAA! She is a regular on ABC 720 Drive with John McGlue and Breakfast on RTR FM. Other radio credits include host of 96fm’s Breakfast Crew - Tony, Fitzi & Andrea 2007-2008. This year she was a guest speaker at both Women of Letters with Marieke Hardy and TEDxPerth. Brendan Hanson – Actor This is Brendan’s debut with The Blue Room Theatre. He has appeared on stage for Black Swan State Theatre Company (As You Like It, Midsummer: A Play with Songs, Arcadia), ICW Productions (CATS, Company, Les Miserables) WA Opera Company (Tosca, Tales of Hoffman, The Magic Flute, Orpheus in the Underworld, Carmen, Tristan Und Isolde) and Deckchair Theatre (Lonely Hearts Club, Checklist for an Armed Robber, As You Like It, Twelfth Night) amongst others. On film has featured in Air Australia, South Pacific, Sunny Daze and Under One Roof.
MEDIA RELEASE
embargoed until 26 March 2015
WHEN A RECURRING NIGHTMARE IS YOUR ONLY GRASP ON REALITY… 22 – 27 June 2015, The Blue Room Theatre Exploring the survival mechanisms of human grief and trauma, Fracture is the first play presented by New Ghosts and emerging playwright Lucy Clements, and will debut at The Blue Room Theatre in June. Fracture is a story of grief, loss and coping – and what happens when coping fails. Three young adults find themselves entangled in each other’s lives… Not just as a result of their complicated living arrangements, but because one year ago a child died, and all three have found themselves unable to move on. When a past lover enters their home, the household is forced to let the outside world in for the first time – and face the larger issue that all three have been ignoring. One of two emerging artist productions selected for The Blue Room Theatre’s Season One program, Fracture has been written and produced by current WAAPA students. Over the script’s twelve-month development, Clements has brought together a wonderfully diverse selection of Perth artists to bring her story to life. Fresh from his win for ‘Spirit of the Fringe’ at Perth’s 2015 Fringe World Awards, Blue Room Theatre veteran Joe Lui (Giving Up The Ghosts, Letters Home) will direct the piece. The stellar cast includes Mikala Westall (Great White, From The Rubble) who was also honoured at the 2015 Fringe World Awards as ‘WA Emerging Artist’. “In the writing of Fracture, I set out to explore the giant theme of grief; both in how we as human beings cope with this suffering, and what happens when coping fails. We are constantly being forced to find new ways to get by; surviving our jobs, our relationships, our choices, our mistakes,” says Clements. Fracture presented by Drug Aware is proudly sponsored by Healthway, to promote the Drug Aware message, and Propel Youth Arts WA. Propel is the peak body of youth arts in Western Australia, dedicated to creating opportunities for young people to engage in the arts. Page 1 of 3
Writer, Co-Director & Co-Producer: Lucy Clements / Director, Sound & Lighting Designer: Joe Lui / Co-Producer, Marketing & Publicity: Harriet Roberts / Featuring: Salacia Briggs, Paul Grabovac, James Marzec & Mikala Westall / Designer: Patrick Howe / Stage Manager: Daley King ABOUT THE CAST & CREW Lucy Clements is an independent performance maker, scriptwriter and founder of New Ghosts. Currently enrolled in her final year at WAAPA studying Performing Arts, Lucy is known to The Blue Room Theatre through her Summer Nights performance in R&J, and her directorial and scriptwriting work titled Flaming Youth for the 600 Seconds Fringe World season. Fracture is her first full-length script. Joe Lui is a founding member of Renegade Productions, within which he creates, writes, directs, designs and composes theatre and performance works. His latest credits include Giving Up The Ghosts and A Circle of Buzzards, having recently been crowned ‘Spirit of the Fringe’ at the 2015 Fringe World Awards. Mikala Westall is an actress, director, writer, and a founding member of Renegade Productions. Her acting works include Great White, and From The Rubble (Perth Theatre Company), having recently had her directorial and scriptwriting debut to critical acclaim in the Perth Fringe World Festival with Moving On Inc. Salacia Briggs is a performer, writer and devisor, currently completing her studies in Performing Arts (Performance Making) at WAAPA, having previously been a successful improviser at a national level with Theatresports. Paul Grabovac has been performing in the national theatre scene for over 10 years. Described as “a high quality, idiosyncratic actor” by Ross Mueller, Paul has recently performed in 3 Seeds and Giving Up The Ghosts, receiving commendation for his straightforward and courageous approach to character acting. James Marzec is the co-founder and chairperson of Showroom Theatre, working in Perth as an actor, writer and director. A previous member of the Black Swan Emerging Writer’s Group and UWA’s University Dramatic Society, James has a passion for creating a ‘new classic’ school of contemporary Australian drama. Page 2 of 3
Patrick Howe is a recent design graduate from WAAPA, creating set and costume for theatre. His recent professional credits include Yirra Yaakin and Black Swan Theatre Company, having designed the set for Confessions of a Pyromaniac and Venus in Fur respectively. Daley King is a ‘Jack of all Trades’ talent, having worked as a director, stage manager, designer, writer and performer in the Perth theatre scene. Currently the creative director of Chaos Ensemble, his recent contributions include Death Stole My Dad (director & writer) and I Can Breathe Underwater (assistant director & lighting). Harriet Roberts is an emerging theatre producer, in her final year studying Arts Management at WAAPA. Unearthed by The Blue Room Theatre, Harriet was selected for their 2014 Emerging Producers Workshop, which led to publicity experience in the successful Perth Fringe World remount of Those Who Fall In Love Like Anchors Dropped Upon The Ocean Floor.
What: Fracture, presented by The Blue Room Theatre & New Ghosts When: 7pm Monday 22 June – Saturday 27 June (plus 5pm Saturday 27 June) Where: The Blue Room Theatre, Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge Bookings: blueroom.org.au / (08) 9227 7005 Facebook: facebook.com/newghoststheatrecompany MEDIA CONTACT: Harriet Roberts harriet_roberts@live.com.au 0424 722 799 Page 3 of 3
Media Release
The Blue Room Theatre 7 – 18 July
Embargo until 26 March 2015
The Blue Room Theatre and Imprint Productions present
SONGBIRD From the creators of Confessions of a Pyromaniac comes a play about music, tragedy and love. Imprint Productions returns to The Blue Room Theatre from 7 – 18 July to present its second new work, Songbird.
ABOUT SONGBIRD Michael, Brooke and Leon grew up together and have been best friends their entire lives. They were inseparable, until Michael’s untimely death drove Brooke and Leon apart. Five years later, Leon meets Brooke in the pub of their old country town in an effort to discover why Michael died... But does he really want to uncover the truth? “What inspired me to write Songbird was acting in my first play at Uni, Up the Road by John Harding,” says writer and producer Shakara Walley. “Looking at reconciliation, when one person wants to reconcile with the other and the past but the other doesn’t want anything to do with it.” Featuring live music and songs, Songbird is a naturalistic drama of shared memories and a battle between forgiveness and sorrow.
ABOUT IMPRINT PRODUCTIONS Imprint Productions is a new theatre company dedicated to creating contempory, realistic & naturalistic plays. Helmed by producer, director, writer, performer & filmmaker, Shakara Walley, the company’s first show was Confessions of a Pyromaniac, presented in 2014 at The Blue Room Theatre. Songbird is the company’s second work.
CREDITS WRITTEN & PRODUCED BY Shakara Walley DIRECTED BY Ian Wilkes SET DESIGN BY Patrick Howe
SONGBIRD 7 – 18 July | 8:30PM The Blue Room Theatre 53 James Street, Northbridge Bookings: blueroom.org.au or (08) 9227 7005
MEDIA ENQUIRIES Jamie Breen 0468 721 634 jamie@veryserious.com.au
www.blueroom.org.au