Winner of Best New Play at the UK Theatre Awards 2015, Red Stitch presents the Victorian premiere of Gary Owen’s Iphigenia in Splott this June.
Directed by Gary Abrahams (Pomona, 33 Variations, Angels in America) Iphigenia in Splott arrives at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre with ensemble member Jessica Clarke (The Cane, Pomona, Rules for Living) delivering a powerful and provocative solo performance as Effie who hails from the Welsh working class district of Splott.
Stumbling down Clifton Street at 11:30 a.m. drunk, Effie is the kind of girl you’d avoid eye contact with, silently passing judgement. We think we know her, but we don’t know the half of it.
Effie’s life spirals through a mess of drink, drugs and drama every night, and a hangover worse than death the next day – till one night gives her the chance to be something more.
This powerful new adaptation of the enduring Greek myth drives home the high price people pay for society’s shortcomings.
Gary Owen’s reworking of the Ancient Greek play Iphigenia in Aulis takes its theme of human sacrifice and contextualises it in the modern day, examining those who get left behind in the pursuit of power and profit, and the consequences of neoliberalism’s war on community, morality, and human dignity itself.
Owen’s extraordinary text pulsates with brutal poetry and a gripping narrative told by Effie. As shocking as she is, Effie exhibits a sly humour, and a deep insight about the world around her.
Through her tale she becomes a warrior for the forgotten classes, a battle cry against the conservative social policies that create unconscionable situations for her kind.
“A furious piece; a tirade against welfare cuts piling up on the poor… His [Owen’s] plot swerves like a getaway car. Just when you think you’re watching one kind of play, it becomes another… Crushing.” – What’s On Stage
Director: Gary Abrahams Featured Performer: Jessica Clarke Lighting Design: Rachel Burke Set and Costume Design: Jacob Battista, Sophie Woodward Sound Design and Composition: Daniel Nixon
Iphigenia in Splott
Red Stitch Theatre, Rear 2 Chapel Street, St Kilda East
Season: 25 June – 18 July 2021
Information and Bookings: www.redstitch.net
Image: Jessica Clarke to star in Iphigenia in Splott – photo by Robert Blackburn