21 SEP – 1 OCT
GONZO
21 SEP – 1 OCT BECKETT THEATRE
A poll of nearly 700 12 to 13-year-olds reveals that … one in ten children is worried that he or she is addicted to pornography. – The Conversation Concept & Direction / Clare Watson Created with the St Martins Ensemble* / Ari Long, Jack Palit, Sam Salem, Sol Rumble Performed by / Ari Long, Jack Palit, Sam Salem, Sol Rumble, Gala Vanting, Helen Corday Dramaturg / Gala Vanting Video Design / Michael Carmody Sound Design / Russell Goldsmith Lighting Design / Richard Vabre Costumes / Maima Massaquoi Set Design / Clare Watson & Stewart Campbell Technical Managers / Filament Design Stage Manager / Tom Webster Secondment / Alyssa Hall *Based on interviews with the generous teenagers of Melbourne.
Malthouse Theatre presents Gonzo by
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Season 2016
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A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
There’s a joke that David Foster Wallace tells about an old fish, who is swimming by a couple of young fish and exclaims ‘How’s the water?’ and as the younger fish swim away they turn to each other and one of them says ‘What the fuck is water?’
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Behind the scenes of Gonzo circulate an anonymous online survey without parental permission. When the forms go home, they never return, perhaps this is because the boys aren’t prepared to acknowledge to their families that they are engaging with online adult content. But statistically, they are.
But fascinatingly and frustratingly, it has been challenging to get people to talk. The subject of pornography invokes shame and fear. Teachers are in a position where they can’t let us interview their students, they can’t even
The generous young men we have spoken to are clever, witty and media literate. They are capable of insights that may help the rest of us find a way through this complicated topic. The boys recognize that porn does not exist
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When work commenced on Gonzo last year, there was a sense that it was a timely project and that people would want to contribute to a conversation lead by teenage boys about online pornography. We were right and we were wrong. It is certainly timely. In recent months, the topic has made it to the front pages of our papers as high school students are implicated in online sharing of nude images.
Studies have found that the average age for boys first watching porn is currently 11 years old. This may seem shockingly young, for most it is before a first kiss and certainly before they have become sexually active. There is a large volume of discourse in the media outlining the effect that this exposure to pornographic media is having on young boys and men. There are a lot of adults – educators, academics, psychologists, neuroscientists – that are telling us about the great threat posed to our boys by porn. There is, however, one voice that has been noticeably missing from the discourse, the voice of the boys themselves.
Season 2016
in a cultural vacuum and the misogyny and power dynamics we see playing out online are equally present in music videos and free-to-air-TV. When one of our interview participants told us that ‘incest porn is really big right now’ and we asked him why he thought that was, he answered without hesitation ‘Game of Thrones’. We’re not entering this conversation with a particular agenda, but we are quite deliberately adding a voice to the current discourse. This voice might provide the calm counterpoint that we need. Unlike some of their adult counterparts, these boys are not driven by moral panic. What they want to talk about is actually remarkably relaxed – porn, like smartphones and youtube, is just a part of the complicated world that they’ve been navigating since birth as digital natives. Many adults hold the view that teenage boys are monosyllabic and at the mercy of their raging hormones. Gonzo seeks to disrupt this stereotype, along with a few others, and celebrates that our sexual identities are as idiosyncratic as our thumbprints.
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CAST & CREATIVE BIOS Season 2016 ——> PG 4
Clare Watson Director
Ari Long Performer
Jack Palit Performer
Clare is the outgoing Artistic Director of St Martins, who make theatre for adults collaborating with children and teenagers. Her recent work includes I saw the second one hit (Malthouse Theatre) and Fitter. Faster. Better. (Dance Massive, Junction Arts Festival, Malthouse Theatre). She directed the critically acclaimed What Rhymes with Cars and Girls for Melbourne Theatre Company in 2015, which received four Helpmann nominations including Best Director. In 2014 Clare was Female Director-in-Residence at Malthouse Theatre and she is an MTC Women Directors Program alumna. Her stage credits also include I Heart John McEnroe (Uninvited Guests/ Theatre Works – winner Green Room Award for Best Ensemble, and five nominations including Best Director); The Man with the September Face by Kylie Trounson (Full Tilt/Arts Centre); Smashed by Lally Katz (Stables); and Hotel (Melbourne Fringe Festival – winner Best Director). Clare is a graduate of Directing at the Victorian College of the Arts.In 2016, her mainstage work has also included Lungs by Duncan MacMillan at Melbourne Theatre Company and The Events by David Greig for Malthouse and Belvoir, Sydney Festival and Adelaide Festival. Clare is about to head west where she is taking up the role of Artistic Director at Black Swan State Theatre Company in Perth.
Ari is currently finishing his last year at high school. He has been brought up behind the stage of many plays and has recently taken up the position of acting himself. He has a passion for following the performing arts as a career after school.
Jack is studying Creative Media at Melbourne Polytechnic. He has been a member of St Martins’ Cross Age workshop for one year and most recently performed in a short film Alone In the Dark, directed by K. C. for YGLAM. Jack’s life goal is to perform in the musical, Sweeney Todd.
Sam Salem Performer
Sol Rumble Performer
Sam Salem is a feminist student currently finishing his VCE studies and is interested in pursuing a career in art and performance. He’s watched every episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, loves hairless cats and believes sex education should be taught to toddlers.
Sol is a high school student currently in year 10. He has attended St Martins since 2013 and has done multiple performances through its programs. He grew up on a farm in NSW and believes that has affected his performance and life choices. He aspires to study theatre at university and follow a career in acting.
CAST & CREATIVE BIOS #gonzo
Helen Corday Performer
Michael Carmody Video Design
Gala Vanting is a filmmaker, sex worker, educator and activist whose work addresses topics of gender, sexuality, and representation. Queer and feminist perspectives inform her work dismantling shame, democratising a healthy dialogue about sex, and providing sex education that acknowledges the power of pleasure. She is particularly interested in how sex industry professionals can collaborate with the education, public health and arts sectors to encourage young adults to develop their own informed, nuanced perspectives on sexuality and intimacy.
Helen Corday has worked in independent and feminist porn production for 13 years under the pseudonym Liandra Dahl. Helen collaborated to create ifeelmyself.com in 2005 and her own independent website liandradahl.com in 2010. In 2014 and 2015 Helen co-hosted extracurricular social sex education discussion panels at Fitzroy High School in collaboration with another parent, Carmen LahiffJenkins. The discussions covered topics from sexism to consent, sexting and porn.
Michael has designed video for various productions including Bare Witness (Mari Lourey / Nadja Kostich), I Call My Brothers, The Waiting Room (MTC), I Saw The Second One Hit (St Martins/Malthouse) Detroit (Red Stitch) and Chapters from the Pandemic (Angus Cerini) for which he received a Green Room nomination. His short films include Debutantes (2005) and Carpark (2000). His 2015 collaboration with Elissa Goodrich Dusk to Dawn: Devolving screened at the Traverse Video Festival in Toulouse, France and his short Drowning World screened at La Trobe University’s Nature in the Dark II project.
Russell Goldsmith Sound Design
Richard Vabre Lighting Design
Maima Massaquoi Costume
Russell Goldsmith is sound designer, composer, audio producer and educator based in Melbourne. He has a diverse body of work including live performance, film & TV, radio and installation. In 2009 was nominated for Tony Award for his work on Neil Armfield's Exit The King. He has also produced major commissioned works for White Night Melbourne (2014, 2015 & 2016), Next Wave and BBC London. He has been recognised internationally for his work in radio, being shortlisted for the 2012 Prix Italia and being awarded at the 2012 New York Festivals Radio Awards.
Richard Vabre is a freelance lighting designer who has lit productions for MTC, STC, Malthouse Theatre, Belvoir Street, Victorian Opera, Windmill Theatre, Arena Theatre Company, NICA, The Darwin Festival, Stuck Pig’s Squealing, Chambermade, Rawcus, Red Stitch, Polyglot, Melbourne Worker’s Theatre, Aphids and many many productions at La Mama Richard has won four Green Room Awards including the Association’s John Truscott Prize for Excellence in Design (2004). He has also been nominated for seven other Green Room Awards.
Maima is 19 years old and trying to reach her goal. She has just finished a Diploma of Fashion Design and is planning to studying further. She was in St Martins’ performance ensemble for three years and has worked as a model, a stylist, a dancer and a fashion designer.
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Gala Vanting Performer & Dramaturg
CAST & CREATIVE BIOS Season 2016
St Martins would like to thank:
Filament Design Technical Managers & Production
Kath Albury, Emma Anderson, Christopher Bell, Steve Bradby, Maree Crabbe, Cyndi Darnell, Greg D’Arville, Sarah Derrum, Jason Dooris, Rachel Edwards, Colin Golvan, Natasha Herbert, Christian Leavesley, Elise Margow, Katy Maudlin, Ben McKenzie, Ivy Miller, Justin Murray, Roy Morgan Research, Rhys Price Robertson, Michael Tucak, Leonard Vary.
Tom Webster Stage Manager
Filament Design Group is a Melbourne based design, management and technical services company co-founded over a decade ago by Lucy Birkinshaw and Stewart Campbell. They are accomplished in managing all areas of events, theatre, entertainment and project work to achieve excellent creative outcomes with a smooth install. Filament Design Group strives to excel from concept to creation. Their work has introduced them to a wide range of clientele including theatre companies, dance companies, festivals, film makers, gallery spaces, schools and restaurants.
Tom Webster is a stage and production manager across theatre, dance, comedy and cabaret. A graduate of WAAPA in 2005, Tom has since worked for Sydney Festival, Darwin Festival, St Kilda Festival, BalletLAB, Aphids, Malthouse Theatre, Athenaeum Theatre, MICF and Traffic Light. As a tour manager Tom has worked with local and international artists, including Dawn French, Jason Byrne, Alan Davies, Meow Meow, Julia Morris, as well as productions The Etta James Story (Room 8 Productions), Lets Get It On (Room 8 Productions) and Good Evening (Token).
More information: We acknowledge the work raises many issues, and not all can be explored in a one-hour performance. If you would like to learn more about talking to teenagers about Sex Education, there are a number of resources available online. Selected links include: betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ healthyliving/sex-education-tips-forparents cyndidarnell.com/talking-to-kidsabout-porn/ or the DVD thetalkdvd.com.au/
St Martins make art because we believe children inhabit the earth, not just inherit it. We don’t believe that children are the future; children are the drivers of the future in the here and now. St Martins’ performance work is fuelled by the voices, aesthetics and concerns of children and teenagers. We believe adults have a lot to answer for, and children ask the best questions. And so, we make work with and by children for adults. St Martins Staff
Teaching Artists
Clare Watson Outgoing Artistic Director & Co-Ceo
Michael Cutrupi Workshops Coordinator
Nadja Kostich Incoming Artistic Director
Ramona Lindsay Marketing Coordinator
Narda Shanley Executive Director & Co-Ceo
Jo Dunbar Access Officer Russ Pirie Access Officer
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Filament Design Operations
Stefan Bramble Kat Cornwall Harriet Devlin Amelia Ducker Dale Thornton Daniel Han Luke Kerridge Sally Lewry Lyndsay Marsden Jo Pires Ahmarnya Price Sophie Ross
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ABOUT MALTHOUSE THEATRE
Season 2016
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT At Malthouse Theatre we collaborate with local and international artists to create inventive performances that cut to the core of the human experience. Theatre has the power to interrogate, disrupt and to be an agent of change—and we think it always should. At Malthouse Theatre the work we produce explores the world personally, socially and politically. Based in a dedicated venue, The Coopers Malthouse in Melbourne, we are a home for live experiences that entertain and provoke a dialogue with and within audiences. Welcome to Malthouse Theatre.
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OUR PARTNERS
MAJOR PARTNER
VENUE PARTNER
EDUCATION PARTNER
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GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
ACCOMMODATION PARTNER
CORPORATE PARTNERS
MEDIA PARTNER
INDUSTRY PARTNER
TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS
OUR SUPPORTERS URANIA—MUSE OF THE STARS—$25,000+ Michele Levine, Mary-Ruth & Peter McLennan, Craig Reeves, Maureen Wheeler AO & Tony Wheeler AO CLIO—MUSE OF HISTORY—$10,000+ Roseanne Amarant, Annamila Fund, John & Lorraine Bates, Debbie Dadon AM, Colin Golvan QC, Janine Tai, The Vera Moore Foundation, Anonymous (1) THALIA—MUSE OF COMEDY—$5,000+ Richard Leonard & Gerlinde Scholz, Mary Vallentine AO, Anonymous (1) MELPOMENE—MUSE OF TRAGEDY—$2,500+ David Bardas, Dr Sian Fairbank, D.L. & G.S. Gjergja, Rosemary Forbes & Ian Hocking, Sue Kirkham, James Penlidis & Fiona McGauchie, Elisabeth & John Schiller, Dr Jenny Schwarz, Leonard Vary & Dr Matt Collins QC, Jason Waple, Jon Webster, Jan Williams, Tom Wright, Anonymous (1) EUTERPE—MUSE OF MUSIC—$1,000+ Frankie Airey & Stephen Solly, Marc Besen AC & Eva Besen AO, Chryssa Anagnostou & Dr Jim Tsaltas, Daniel & Danielle Besen,
TERPSICHORE—MUSE OF DANCE—$500+ Graham & Anita Anderson, Michael Arnold, Graham & Anita Anderson, Michael Arnold, Rowland Ball OAM, Sandra Beanham, David & Rhonda Black, Ros Casey, Tim & Rachel Cecil, Marisa Cesario, Chris Clough, Alan Connolly, Mark & Jo Davey, Carolyn Floyd, Leonie Hollingworth, Brad Hooper, Irene Irvine, Joan & Graeme Johnson OAM, Dr Irene Kearsey, Dr Angela Kirsner & Dr Richard Kirsner, John McCallum, Ian McRae AO, Dr Kersti Nogeste, Linda Notley, Jan Owen AM, Robert Peters, Katherine REHEARSAL PHOTOS / SARAH WALKER
Sampson, Barbara & Neil Smart, Toby Sullivan, John Thomas, Neil Waters, Phil & Heather Wilson, Anonymous (4) ERATO—MUSE OF LOVE—$250+ Simon Abrahams, Jennifer Bourke, Fiona Brook, John & Alexandra Busselmaier, Siu Chan, Diane Clark, Georgie Coleman, Patricia Coutts, Jason Craig, Kerryn Dickinson-Rowe, Orla & Rachel, Taleen Gaidzkar, Joanne Griffiths, Peggy Hayton, Sarah Hunt, Ann Kemeny & Graham Johnson, Mira & Dr David Kolieb, Robyn Lansdowne, Sally Lindsay, Kim Lowndes, Judith Maitland-Parr, Ian Manning & Alice De Jonge, John Millard, Susan Nathan, Paul Natoli, Tony Oliver, Kaylene O’Neill, Lynette and Clare Payne, Wendy Poulton, Gerard Powell, Gavin Roach, Rae Rothfield, Michael & Jenny Rozen, Robert Sessions & Christina Fitzgerald, Dr Jill Sewell, Chris Teh, Lee-Ann Walsh, Jan Watson, Joanne Whyte, Barbara Yuncken VOLUNTEERS Malthouse Theatre would like to acknowledge the generous and ongoing support of our dedicated volunteers. DESIGN / HOURS AFTER HOURSAFTER.COM.AU
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John & Sally Bourne, Sally Browne, Beth Brown & Tom Bruce AM, Ingrid & Per Carlsen, Min Li Chong, Robin Collier & Dr Neil Collier, Prof John Daley & Dr Rebecca Coates, Dominic & Natalie Dirupo, Roger Donazzan & Margaret Jackson AC, Rev Fr Michael Elligate AM, Brian Goddard, Val Johnstone, Michael Kingston, James Ostroburski, Rosemary & Roger Redston, Carol & Alan Schwartz AM, Thea & Hayden Snow, Maria Solà, Gina & Paul Stuart, Fiona Sweet & Paul Newcombe, Kerri Turner & Andrew White, Rosemary Walls, Pinky Watson, Henry Winters, Anonymous (1)
OUR STAFF Season 2016
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michele Levine (Chair), John Daley (Deputy Chair), Debbie Dadon AM, Colin Golvan QC, Michael Kantor, Jan Owen AM, Pamela Rabe, Nick Schlieper, Kerri Turner, Mary Vallentine AO & Leonard Vary.
Publicist / TS Publicity Graphic Design / Hours After TICKETING & BOX OFFICE CRM & Ticketing Manager / Emma Quinn
ARTISTIC & PROGRAMMING
Box Office Manager / Gemma Cotterell
Artistic Director & Co-Ceo/ Matthew Lutton
Box Office Supervisor / Sam Yeo
Executive Producer & Co-Ceo / Sarah Neal
Box Office Staff / Abbey Barnes, Fiona Wiseman, Ian Michael, Jade Thomson, Jo Bassilios, Kate Gregory, Lauren White, Michelle Hines, Paul Buckley
Resident Dramaturg / Mark Pritchard Director in Residence / Janice Muller
DEVELOPMENT
Resident Artist / Declan Greene
Development Manager / Jayne Lovelock
Producer / Toby Sullivan
Development Coordinator / Belinda Locke
Associate Producer / Jason Tamiru
PRODUCTION
Company Manager / Alice Muhling FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION Finance Manager / Mario Agostinoni Finance Administrator / Liz White General Manager / Amanda Macri MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Marketing & Communications Manager / Caraline Douglas
Production Manager / David Miller Workshop Manager / David Craig Technical Manager / Baird Mckenna Operations Manager / Dexter Varley Deputy Workshop Manager / Goffredo Mameli Head Electrician / Stephen Hawker Venue Head Mechanist / Ivan Smith Head Of Wardrobe / Delia Spicer
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Digital Marketing Coordinator / Davey Simmons
Theatre Technician / Nathanael Bristow
Communications Coordinator / Alex Sadka
Workshop Assistant / Elizabeth Whitten
EDUCATION Youth & Education Manager / Vanessa O’Neill VENUE MANAGEMENT Venue Manager / Aaron Rowlands Front of House Managers / Sean Ladhams & Anita Posterino Front of House Staff / Jo Bassilios, Abi Murray, Alice Hill, Alice Dixon, Aly Grace, Amelia O’Brien, Amy Dowd, Andrew Foord, Anna Nalpantidis,Carissa Godwin, Daniel Moulds, Daniel Newell, Dirk Hoult, Emma Corbett, Fiona Moody Gem Clarke, Ian Mitchell, James Chantner, Jessi Lewis, Kate Calton, Kate Gregory, Kathryn Joy, Kirilie Blythman, Lara Kerestes, Lee Threadgold, Leon Rice-Whetton, Mark Hoffman, Matilda Woodroofe, Mitchell Brotz,Pamela Cupit, Sam Harrison, Sanne Rodenstein, Sophia D’Urso, Syrie Payne, Tanja George ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COMMITTEE Uncle Jack Charles, Richard Frankland, Tony Briggs, Lisa Maza, Pauline Wyman, Melodie Reynolds-Diarra & Jason Tamiru Malthouse Theatre acknowledges we are on the Land of the Boon wurrung Peoples within the Kulin Nation.
SEASON 2017 #gonzo #malthousetheatre2017
NEW IN 2017: SEASON PASSES WITH NO LOCKEDIN DATES WE LIVE IN THE NOW. JUST LIKE YOU. Just like we reinvent theatre, we’ve reinvented the subscription. On our new Season Pass, pick five or more shows and lock in the dates later. We’ll even contact you if you forget. You’ll also rake in the savings with up to 40% off single ticket prices. Our new Season Pass with flexible dates is the new standard in theatre subscriptions.
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BOOK NOW / Visit malthousetheatre.com.au/season-pass
WHAT’S HAPPENING NEXT Season 2016
One man’s feast is another man’s famine, and this is a feast of contradictions.
WAR & PEACE 18 – 30 OCT
War and Peace / puts you in the hands of one of the world’s most notorious theatre collectives, Berlin’s Gob Squad, as they take on one of literature’s most famously unread novels. But this book club might come with a body count. These theatre renegades make live video performances that unsettle the lines between the prepared and the improvised, performer and bystander, fiction and life. Here they set their sights on Tolstoy’s gargantuan opus War and Peace, only to discover that neither war nor peace are coming without a fight.
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Concept / Gob Squad Performed & Devised by / Johanna Freiburg, Sean Patten, Sharon Smith, Berit Stumpf, Sarah Thom, Bastian Trost & Simon Will War and Peace is a coproduction with Malthouse Theatre and Melbourne Festival
Selling Fast. Book now to secure your tickets.
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SCENE & HEARD
© Malthouse Theatre, the artists, designers, photographers, collaborators and contributors. All rights reserved, 2016.
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The cast and crew quickly realised how important verb choices can be when making a show about porn. Things can get hilariously rude pretty fast. There were definitely moments of blushing throughout the rehearsal period. And we had to take the occasional double entendre break.
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