Widely considered one of the titans of Melbourne’s Independent Arts scene, Elbow Room bring you the final production for MTC’s NEON Festival of Independent Theatre, We Get It at the Southbank Theatre for a limited season from 10 July 2015.
For thousands of years, they’ve haunted our stages. From our childhood, they’ve stalked through our dreams, tears in their eyes and blood on their teeth. Beautiful, monstrous, they challenge and taunt us to explore the limits of experience; they dare us to walk in their footsteps, to speak in their voices.
But who are these heroines of classic theatre? Where do they really come from? What do they want from us? And what, in our weird and wired world, do we demand of them – and from the people tasked with bringing them to life for our entertainment?
This brand-new performance turns gender anxiety on its head in a witty and playful evening that pitches five ‘re-imagined’ classics against each other, in a battle to show us as we are now. Because that’s what we want, isn’t it…?
On being invited to close NEON’s third season, the tight-knit company reached out to assemble a jaw-dropping team of collaborators. “What we see on stage, what we ask from an performer, from a night out, has so much built in to it that’s unspoken,” says artistic director Marcel Dorney.
“We identified a group of extraordinary women, brought them together in a room, and asked them ‘what is demanded of you, in your work, in your lives, that no-one really wants to talk about? The title of the show is something that I’ve said, too. I said it because I assumed I knew more than I did.”
Since forming in Melbourne in 2008, Elbow Room have been recognised for their distinctive combination of intellectual curiosity and performative wit. Works such as After All This, The Motion of Light in Water and Prehistoric have garnered multiple awards (including Green Room wins for writing, directing and ensemble performance), critical acclaim, sell-out seasons in several cities, and multiple re-presentations by festivals around Australia.
Directors: Marcel Dorney and Emily Tomlins Cast and Co-Creators: Tamiah Bantum, Amy Ingram, Kasia Kaczmarek, Maurial Spearim, Sonya Suares, Emily Tomlins Creative Consultants: Tanya Dickson, Daniel Evans, and Rachel Perks Production Design: Matt Adey (House of Vnholy) Costume Design: Chloe Greaves and Zoe Rouse Lighting Design: Kris Chainey
We Get It
The Lawler – Southbank Theatre, 140 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank
Season: 10 – 19 July 2015
Bookings: (03) 8688 0800 or online at: www.mtc.com.au
For more information, visit: www.elbowroomproductions.com for details.
Image: Emily Tomlins in We Get It – photo by Sarah Walker Photography