Prayer Machine

An original play by Melbourne playwright Eric Gardiner, Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre presents the world premiere of Prayer Machine this November.

No-one looks at Strangers. No-one pays attention. ‘Cos attention is a weapon, now. Short and Sharp. People keep it locked up in rifle cases for special occasions.

A pair of high-school lovers reunite in the twilight of middle age. They make dreams, plans, and re-enactments. They try to remember, and they try to forget. Who can face a wasted life?

Prayer Machine marries hypnotic black comedy with a tender exploration of aging and missed connection. In a place where the twin addictions of nostalgia and technology collide, how can you love somebody who isn’t really there?

Developed as part of Red Stitch’s INK Writers Program, Prayer Machine is directed by Krystalla Pearce (She is Vigilante), the play features Joe Petruzzi (American Song, Fury) and Patrick Williams (Five Bedrooms, Rosehaven, The Bodyguard).

Eric Gardiner is a playwright from Melbourne. His first full-length play, Bounty, premiered at the 2015 Melbourne Fringe, presented by Darebin Arts and directed by Tom Gutteridge.

He graduated from the Master of Writing for Performance at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in 2017. Eric began his artistic career in student theatre at the University of Melbourne, co-writing and scoring productions for Union House Theatre.

Previously he was an independent theatre producer, working in collaboration with companies such as Melbourne Theatre Company, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Don’t Look Away and Theatre Works, and a Creative Producer at the Emerging Writers Festival.

Eric currently works at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Melbourne, home of the VCA and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.