Fed up with white men staging the deaths of white men in plays written by white men, the white ladies from post have pirated the theatrical canon and turned over the juiciest stuff to seven hundred – that’s right, seven hundred! – collaborators.
Oedipus Schmoedipus is a democratic theatrical extravaganza two-and-a-half-thousand years in the making. Take several hundred of the greatest plays of all time, pick out the death scenes, mix them together (in a cunning and clever way).
And then (well that’s a surprise…), we can promise a great big, fun festival of shuffling-off-the-mortal-coil from Australia’s silliest/smartest theatre bunch. Their work is joyful and dark, stupid and smart, down-home and OTT. Oedipus Schmoedipus is their bid for theatre history – either to join it, or wreck it.
post are best known for Who’s the Best at Sydney Theatre Company, and a wild catalogue of theatre/performance art including Everything I Know About the Global Financial Crisis in One Hour (B Sharp/post/version 1.0).
They make work that is the world of performance art, but you can take your mum along and she’ll understand and relate to it. They take being silly very seriously, and have a deep and true commitment to innovation that doesn’t alienate audiences or get boring.
Zoë Coombs Marr, Mish Grigor (Private Lives) and Natalie Rose are the three creators who make up post. Their work is often, but not always, concerned with the political, and attempts to engage with issues of control, gender, identity and politics in a way that is funny, engaging, and accessible.
Featuring: Zoë Coombs Marr and Mish Grigor Set & Costume Designer: Robert Cousins Lighting Designer: Matthew Marshall Composer & Sound Designer: James Brown Dramaturg: Anne-Louise Sarks
Oedipus Schmoedipus
Belvoir St Theatre, 25 Belvoir Street, Surry Hills
Season: 9 January – 2 February 2014
Bookings: (02) 9699 3444 or www.belvoir.com.au
For more information, visit: www.belvoir.com.au for details
Image: photo by Brett Boardman