Exploring female friendship and lifelong alliances, Melbourne Theatre Company presents the Australian premiere of Amelia Bullmore’s heart-warming new comedy, Di and Viv and Rose at the Southbank Theatre from 17 August 2017.
From different classes, from different places, with different experiences and expectations, Di, Viv and Rose would never have crossed paths if they hadn’t shared a flat all those years ago at university. For a while, the laughs bound them together. But surely time, which delivers triumph, disaster and change so unpredictably, will slowly draw these three friends apart?
Amelia Bullmore’s touching tale takes a different view, finding that between some friends, bonds can loosen, stretch and strain, yet never break. This much-heralded new play spans the years and spins the yarns, to evoke a story of enduring friendship that is undoubtedly one of the most moving stories to hit the stage in many years.
Renowned theatre-maker Marion Potts directs a sterling cast including Nadine Garner (The Doctor Blake Mysteries), Belinda McClory (The Waiting Room) and Mandy McElhinney (Love Child). “Over twenty years the world changes, things happen to us for better or worse,” says Potts. “This play focuses on the relationships that somehow withstand the volatility of our lives; as much as a result of their flexibility as their solidity. It’s about those friendships that can bend and not break.”
Amelia Bullmore is an English actor and writer. Originally staged at Hampstead Theatre in London in 2013 to great success, Di and Viv and Rose is her second play. It later transferred to the West End in early 2015, where it ran at the Vaudeville Theatre. Her first stage play, Mammals (2005) was the winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Bullmore’s television writing credits includes episodes for This Life, Attachments, Black Cab, and Scott & Bailey. Her acting credits include Coronation Street, State of Play, Happy Valley, Scott & Bailey, Ashes to Ashes and Sherlock.
Marion Potts is currently Director of Theatre for the Australia Council for the Arts and was previously Artistic Director for Malthouse Theatre from 2010 – 2015. Prior to this Marion worked with many of the country’s finest theatre companies, last directing for MTC in 2009 with her production of Grace. Across her career Marion has received numerous nominations and awards, including the Helpmann Award for Best Direction of a Play in 2006 for Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?
Director: Marion Potts Featuring: Nadine Garner, Belinda McClory, Mandy McElhinney Set and Costume Designer: Dale Ferguson Lighting Designer: Paul Jackson Composer and Sound Designer: Kelly Ryall Voice and Dialect Coach: Geraldine Cook-Dafner Assistant Director: Stephen Nicolazzo
Di and Viv and Rose
The Sumner – Southbank Theatre, Southbank Boulevard, Southbank
Season: 17 August – 16 September 2017 (preview: 12 – 16 August)
Information and Bookings: www.mtc.com.au
Image: Mandy McElhinney, Nadine Garner and Belinda McClory star in Di and Viv and Rose – courtesy of MTC