Adelaide’s Windmill Theatre has released its season for 2014 which includes three major works as part of the Adelaide Festival.
Girl Asleep, Fugitive and School Dance form a unique trilogy of rites-of-passage stories by Helpmann Award-nominated writer and director team Rosemary Myers and Matthew Whittet. All placed in the pivotal teenage years, each of the three works are linked through the common rites-of-passage theme and explode defining adolescent moments.
The launch of the season follows a period of unprecedented success in the company’s 11-year history. Windmill performed to more national and international audiences than ever before in 2013, with Grug completing a six-month tour of the US and Canada, including a stint on New York’s Broadway.
School Dance toured Australia earlier this year, with a sell-out season at Sydney Theatre Company, as well as seasons at Arts Centre Melbourne, Brisbane Powerhouse and Wollongong’s Merrigong Theatre. The company also won two Helpmann Awards for School Dance, a South Australian Ruby Award for Best Work for Pinocchio, and a second Business SA Export Award for Grug in October.
2014 is set to be another whirlwind year for Windmill with Big Bad Wolf playing Melbourne Theatre Company in January and its major family musical Pinocchio, co-produced with State Theatre Company of South Australia playing a four-week season at Sydney Opera House in April.
“It’s been an exhilarating 12 months and we’re excited for the next period in the company’s creative journey. Presenting the Trilogy in the Adelaide Festival gives context to this body of work and we are currently creating the newest production, Girl Asleep for its world premiere,” says Rosemary Myers, Artistic Director of Windmill Theatre.
“Windmill Theatre is one of our local and national treasures and I feel it’s important for the Adelaide Festival to present the very best South Australian work,” says David Sefton, Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival.
“When I heard that Girl Asleep was part of a coming-of-age trilogy I thought the best way to present the final tale was to also present Fugitive and School Dance.”
“Presenting three productions from any company at the festival is a significant commitment to make and that speaks to the quality of the company,”
Windmill General Manager and Producer Teena Munn commented on the company’s future plans adding, “Looking ahead, we’ve recently confirmed a two-week season of our large-scale family musical of Pinocchio on New York’s Broadway in January 2015, and we’re in the planning phase of an exciting feature film version of Girl Asleep, which will premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival in 2015.”
For more information, visit: www.windmill.org.au for details.
Image: Girl Asleep – courtesy of Windmill Theatre Company
