Sex, Drugs & Pork Rolls

SF21-Sex,-Drugs-&-Pork-Rolls-photo-by-Nancy-TrieuPresented at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres from 20 to 23 January for the 2021 Sydney Festival, Utp announces the world premiere of Sex, Drugs & Pork Rolls – an exciting new work from four acclaimed Western Sydney writers.

Created in partnership with Sweatshop and Directed by S.Shakthidharan (Counting and Cracking, Belvoir), this is theatrical storytelling for the screen.

“This is a work that unpicks stereotypes of Western Sydney. Utp is delighted to be partnering with Sweatshop and the extraordinary team of artists to bring this experience to audiences during Sydney Festival,” said Dr Jessica Olivieri, Utp Artistic Director.

On the day that Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in 2016, four hood-rats clash in a string of violence, substance abuse and sexual encounters. This is a vivid and compelling portrait of life growing up in Western Sydney.

Experienced as a multi-screen installation Sex, Drugs & Pork Rolls is an oral storytelling experience from the heartland of multicultural Australia. The four-part monologue weaves together a portrait of young people of colour (POC) growing up in the Western suburbs of Sydney.

Presented across four screens, live audiences will experience the work from the comfort of a socially-distanced chair while enjoying a complimentary Bánh mì.

Sex, Drugs & Pork Rolls has been created by a team of extraordinary artists and technicians, all of whom are from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse background, infusing the work with depth and authenticity.

The work resonates with an astute sense of place, connection and shared experiences of those traversing the tensions and challenges of mixed cultural mores and behaviours with empathy, humour and uncompromising clarity of truth.

Written by Winnie Dunn, Stephen Pham, Shirley Le and Omar Sakr, with script editing and dramaturgical support from acclaimed author Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Sex, Drugs & Pork Rolls has been crafted for the screen by Helpmann Award winner S.Shakthidharan and performers Hazem Shammas, Emily Havea, Aileen Huynh and Henry Vo.

“These four monologues are by turns hilarious and tragic, visceral and poetic,” said Director S.Shakthidharan. “Layered and assembled onto the screen they provide audiences with something that, even in 2020, is still all too rare – an immersive, uncompromising portrayal of just another night in Western Sydney.”

Director: S.Shakthidharan Lead Performers: Emily Havea, Aileen Huynh, Hazem Shammas, Henry Vo Performers: Mert Altunsoy, Alissar Chidiac, Taofia Pelesasa, Susan Young Cinematographer: Akil Ahamat Script Editor: Michael Mohammed Ahmad Creative Producer: Frank Mainoo Production Manager: Takashi Hara Costume/ Make-up Artist: Nancy Trieu Composer: Aimée Falzon Sound Mixer: Mayu Ganeshan Sound Recordist: Paul Pham Lighting Assistant: Adrian Castro Writers: Winnie Dunn, Shirley Le, Stephen Pham and Omar Sakr


Sex, Drugs & Pork Rolls
Lennox Theatre – Riverside Theatres, Corner Church and Market Streets, Parramatta
Season: 20 – 23 January 2021
Bookings: www.riversideparramatta.com.au

For more information, visit: www.utp.org.au or www.sydneyfestival.org.au for details.

Image: Emily Havea, Henry Vo, Aileen Huynh and Hazem Shammas – photo by Nancy Trieu