the listies ruin xmas
25 Nov – 13 Dec
Malthouse Theatre presents
the listies ruin xmas Epilogue *** beckett Theatre
A note from the Creators
R: Matt? M: … R: Matt, wake up. M: Oh, sorry. R: We’ve got to do these directors’ notes! M: What are they?! R: Well, it’s where you say intelligent things about the show in the program. M: Uh-oh.
Creator & Performer / Richard Higgins Creator & Performer / Matthew Kelly Set & Costume Design Consultant / Marg Horwell Lighting Designer / Amelia Lever-Davidson Production & Tour Manager / Gemma Fletcher Stage Manager / Tia Clark
R: Exactly. M: Do people read it during the show if it’s boring? R: Matt! No! It’s like a super smart thing about the intellectual and artistic influences we have. M: Oh, those… Do we have those? R: Sort of, remember when we talked about pantomime? M: Is that when you mime having pants? #LOL R: Er, no… It’s a British theatre thing where the audience yell at the stage and throw things and the actors don’t pretend the audience aren’t there and also it’s quite rude and funny.
A co-production with The Listies. Malthouse Theatre would like to acknowledge the people of the Kulin nation on whose land this work is being presented.
themes aren’t that relevant to Australia in 2015. Do you remember this discussion? M: [Shaking head] Yes. R: …And then we talked about how not everyone in multicultural Australia does Christmas and the show should talk about that in some way. M: Don’t they? R: Yes. Look. I’ll explain it to you at the start of the show... And also, you know, as two Australians that do do Christmas we wanted to make a show that had fun with some of the crazy things we do at this time of year. M: Like snowmen, sleigh rides, wearing jumpers and singing carols by the fire? R: Er… no. Like eating a roast when it’s 40 degrees! M: Oh right. R: Look, it’s all in the show. M: I can’t wait to see it. R: You are in it. M: Am I?! Oh this is going to be good.
M: Oh, like the one we watched on the YouTubez.
R: Yes yes... but what should we write here in the directors’ notes?
R: And I used to watch heaps when I was a kid in England. But then we realised that some of the
R: Oh no, we’ve run out of space!
M: Let’s just put a find-a-word in here to fill up the space.
Cover Photography /
Andrew Gough
Cover Treatment /
The Sisters Hayes
Production Images /
Pia Johnson