Joseph O’Farrell (JOF) and Sam Halmarack will combine theatre with the fist-pumping euphoria and power ballads of a stadium gig in WE ARE LIGHTNING! – a darkly comical work that reflects on the importance of communal spaces where people can come together and express themselves.
As the North Melbourne Town Hall is transformed into a music venue on the brink of closure, WE ARE LIGHTNING! will feature genre smashing and sonically moving sessions from a bunch of Melbourne locals including a teen garage band, a community choir and ageing rockers.
Joining JOF on drums and Halmarack on guitar, the musicians will make their mark to protest the demise of the venue and take audiences through an unexpected ceremony and heartfelt celebration of how music shapes the lives of the people that play it.
Local Melbourne musicians featured in WE ARE LIGHTNING! include Pythagoras and the Field, a teen band formed from the Living Music program in North Melbourne, and 50 singers from five community choirs.
JOF is a multi-art performer, producer, curator, musician and lecturer and is a founding member of junkyard theatre company: The Suitcase Royale – a trio that have toured new Australian theatre works nationally and internationally since 2004.
One half of electro-pop duo: Chew Magna, Sam Halmarack is a musician, theatre maker and sound designer who has collaborated with Tom Wainwright, Bodies in Flight, Tom Marshman, Duncan Speakman, Dearhear Ensemble and the Engage program with Bath Theatre Royal.
WE ARE LIGHTNING!
Arts House – North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne
Season: 6 – 10 December 2017
Information and Bookings: www.artshouse.com.au
Image: WE ARE LIGHTNING! – photo by Pia Johnson