While 2015 at the Old Fitz Theatre was filled with high-octane plays, domestic settings and masculinity to boot, 2016 will expand the horizons of the intimate 63-seat space with a season dubbed as BIG. BOLD. BEAUTIFUL.
Each show programmed is bigger, be it size of cast, size of ideas, size of story, or size of location, however the deeply honest and truthful performances that have become a trademark of the Old Fitz Theatre will remain at the core of the company’s focus.
“Our 2016 January-June season is nothing short of epic – deliberately so. The six main stage plays paint an important story,” says Artistic Director Andrew Henry. “At our core we are an acting company and a theatre for fearless practitioners. We have absolutely nothing to lose and will continue to ask ‘Why not?’ rather than ‘Why?’”
Having only managed the venue for a year, Red Line Productions have welcomed over 14,000 patrons to the legendary Old Fitz Theatre and established themselves as formidable players in Sydney’s theatre scene. Responding to the success Henry says, “I am extraordinarily proud of what has been achieved.”
“We fearlessly set out to create a hub for exceptional theatre and we have been rewarded with queues of eager patrons lining up down the street and, most importantly, people coming back time and again to see our productions,” Henry added.
To kick off the 2016 season, Charlie Garber and Gareth Davies return to present Masterclass 2 – a sequel to the hit indie comedy that opened the 2015 season and promises to lead the way to achieving your dreams. Red Line Productions is pleased to be partnering with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras again to present the Australian Premiere of the big-hearted and fiercely funny The Whale.
Travis Cotton’s darkly comic new work 80 Minutes No Interval examines failure and how it tests the character of a person, while up-and-coming independent theatre company Mad March Hare presents a tragic portrait of a marriage sliding ineluctably into crisis in the Sydney Premiere of Belleville.
Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses brings Ovid’s tales to stunning visual life with an original soundtrack composed by ARIA Award-winning songwriter Julia Stone, and Inner Voices by acclaimed playwright Louis Nowra, a Woolloomooloo local and familiar patron of the Old Fitz Hotel, rounds up the first six months of the main stage season.
The late show program will continue, offering a platform for producers and actors to present new work, or to stage established short plays or full-length productions with a particular suitability to a later time-slot. Late shows will be announced throughout the year.
Tickets are now on sale! For more information, visit: www.oldfitztheatre.com for details.
Image: Chloe Bayliss in The Whale – photo by Kate Williams