KINDNESS

By Matthew Whittet

Directed by Jessica Arthur Venue Reg Grundy

When 8th–10th, 13–16th, June 7.30pm 10th, 15th, June 1.00pm Open Day 17th, June 2.00pm

World Premiere

“I feel like I’ve got a hole in my chest... it’s getting bigger.”

Lukas isn’t in a good place. He hasn’t been for some time.

His friends Claude, Song and Dylan can’t sit by and watch anymore. Tenderly and patiently, they start to tell each other stories. Of the moments they all met. Of the times they were complete idiots. They tell these stories because they know their friend Lukas also needs to tell his. His life depends on it.

This group of 20-year-olds are there for each other in the only way they know how – with ridiculous stupidity, blunt honesty, and unconditional joy.

The simplest acts of kindness are sometimes the most important.

Matthew Whittet is an actor and writer who has worked extensively in theatre, film and television for 20 years. His plays include Silver, Fugitive, Harbinger, Old Man, Girl Asleep, School Dance, Big Bad Wolf, and Seventeen. His feature film adaptation of Girl Asleep won many awards and he has also written for Heartbreak High

Jessica Arthur was Resident Director of Sydney Theatre Company from 2019-2022. She has created work for STC, Belvoir, Griffin, Melbourne Theatre Company, Red Line Productions and Schauspiel Frankfurt. She is a graduate of NIDA Master of Fine Arts (Directing).

The Company

CAST (in order of appearance)

Lukas JK Kazzi

Claude Lillianne Lord

Song Madeline Li

Dylan Lập Nguyễn

Oliver Jack Patten

Understudies Caitlin Green

Finn Gough

Director Jessica Arthur*

Set/Props Designer Madaleine Cooper

Costume Designer Taylah Miller

Lighting Designer India Lively

Sound Designer Jordan Magnus-McCarthy

Voice Coach Jack Starkey-Gill*

Assistant Director Mehhma Malhi

Production Stage Manager Bernadett Lorincz

Deputy Stage Manager Arwen Davidson

Assistant Stage Managers Archer Dametto

Jasmine Power

Construction Manager Tommaso Patelli

Costume Maker Delan Woods

Costume Supervisor Michiru Encinas

Properties Supervisor Tanne Patterson

Head Electrician Sam Scott

Set/Props Assistant Designer Alice Vance

Costume Assistant Designer Isaac Valentine

Costume Assistant Katrina Mark

Properties Assistant Oliver Gregg

Technical Assistants Emma Clulow

Guinevere Fisher

Finlay Hogan

Thomas Howieson

Matt Phillips

Tung Son Tran Tat Thang

Thomas Howieson

Holding On Means Letting Go Composed by JK Kazzi

Matthew Whittet — Playwright

I love new plays. You never quite know where they’re going to take you, but you know the journey is always going to be an entire universe. They may start as an idea for a character, or a scene, or an historical event or even a place. Whatever that first spark is, it sets you off on a journey. A journey where you bring everything you’ve got as an artist and a human being to the table.

A couple of characters and a couple of scenes start to grow. You feel the pull towards something you can’t quite name yet - what David Lynch describes as the big fish on the end of the line.

You don’t know what it is yet, but by god you know it’s there. You keep venturing, keep trusting until you have what feels like a first act, then a second and then a third. All the while digging deeper into yourself and your experiences, and the experiences of those all around you. You feed curiosity and you nurture something that’s trying to find its way out into the world. An idea. A feeling. A struggle. A question. And with Kindness I’ve found myself asking many questions, some of which are confronting. About what it is to feel deeply and with intensity and not knowing what to do with it. Of young men who know they should talk, but don’t. Of the glorious and indispensable nature of friendship. Of the pain of grief, in its vast and varied forms. Of what it means to love with everything you’ve got. And of the gentleness, honesty and generosity that holds people together.

I’m beyond thrilled that this play is having its world premiere at NIDA, my old stomping ground, and that it gets its first steps into the world with such a brilliant cohort of artists – both students and professionals alike, under the fearless and inspiring leadership of Jess Arthur. I can’t wait for you all to meet this new work for its very first outing, and see these exciting young artists rise to the challenge.

Jessica Arthur - Director

In exploring Matt’s beautiful text we talked about connections, the universe, mortality, love and grief. Everyone in the room shared a little observation or part of themselves that has woven its way into the collective understanding we have of this play. I continuously found myself circling back to Nick Cave’s writing in ‘The Red Hand Files’; in which grief is distilled in bond with its essence - love.

“It seems to me, that if we love, we grieve. That’s the deal. That’s the pact. Grief and love are forever intertwined. Grief is the terrible reminder of the depths of our love and, like love, grief is non-negotiable. There is a vastness to grief that overwhelms our minuscule selves. We are tiny, trembling clusters of atoms subsumed within grief’s awesome presence. It occupies the core of our being and extends through our fingers to the limits of the universe”.