Described by the Guardian as one of the “most notorious plays of the last century” – Malthouse Theatre presents Sarah Kane’s highly provocative and shocking Blasted for a limited season at The Coopers Malthouse from 29 August 2018.
The story begins when a gin soaked tabloid journalist brings a naïve and troubled young woman back to his hotel room. The dysfunctional seduction is shattered by the arrival of a soldier, whose abrupt entry sets nightmarish events in motion. A violent, unrelenting, and brutal conflict manifests both in and outside of the small hotel room where three individuals grapple with their own cruelties, fears and desires.
When Blasted opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 1995, it was labelled “a disgusting feast of filth” by The Daily Mail; making front-page headlines, selling out houses and outraging critics. Today, it continues to shake the nerves and sensibilities of its audiences with its savagery as well as its compassion for the lowest depths of human desperation, pain, and ultimate redemption.
Starring Fayssal Bazzi (The Government Inspector), Eloise Mignon (The Wild Duck), David Woods (Ganesh Versus the Third Reich) and directed by Anne-Louise Sarks (The Testament of Mary) Blasted will give Malthouse Theatre audiences their chance to experience the power and controversy of Sarah Kane, and the play that shook the world.
Blasted was the first of five plays the British author would write before taking her own life in 1999 at the age of 28. Her works address themes of redemptive love, desire, pain, torture, and death – all of which feature prominently in Blasted. Her ongoing legacy is that of an artist provocateur, and a groundbreaking dramatist ahead of her time.
Director: Anne-Louise Sarks Featuring: Fayssal Bazzi, Eloise Mignon, David Woods Set & Costume Design: Marg Horwell Lighting Design: Paul Jackson Sound Design & Composition: Jethro Woodward Design Associate: Romanie Harper Cinematography: Sky Davies Gaffer: Jared Fish Colourist: Nicholas Hower Stage Manager: Lyndie Li Wan Po Assistant Stage Manager: Matilda Woodroofe Fight Director: Chris Kemp Vocal Coach: Suzanne Heywood
Blasted
Merlyn Theatre – The Coopers Malthouse, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank
Season: 29 August – 16 September 2018
Information and Bookings: www.malthousetheatre.com.au
Image: courtesy of Malthouse Theatre