Examining the parallels of the selection processes experienced by actors seeking work and refugees seeking asylum, Outer Urban Projects presents the new Australian work, The Audition in a world premiere season at the La Mama Courthouse from 14 November 2019.
The Audition director and Outer Urban Projects artistic director, Irine Vela, explains that asylum seekers share something in common with Australian actors – they are both outsiders with an uncertain status. “Asylum seekers, just like actors, are forced to become an expert at waiting whilst remaining forever hopeful,” says Vela. “But what if you are both an asylum seeker and an actor?”
A new multi-authored work led by Vela, The Audition features an exceptional creative team of new and established writers and performers. Commanding young Iranian artists, Sahra Davoudi and Milad Norouzi have contributed pieces and will also perform with Mary Sitarenos and Peter Paltos.
Davoudi’s work reveals seven poignant moments of a young woman’s life through seven mirrors; while Norouzi writes about a young man in conversation with God in a vast but suffocating new world. Art and life are inseparable in Christos Tsiolkas’ work that reimagines Women of Troy as an audition piece and Melissa Reeves writes about the creaky mechanics of refusing asylum.
Friendship and politics run deep for playwright Wahibe Moussa as two women navigate their way through political perspectives and cultural conventions. Tes Lyssiotis examines life from the inside an Australian detention centre, Woomera; while notions of the quintessential Australian woman are investigated when Patricia Cornelius places Olive from The Summer of The Seventeenth Doll centre stage.
The Audition offers a sharp and insightful perspective into the protocols and powers that permit or veto entry into our country and onto our stages.
Director, Concept and Dramaturg: Irine Vela Featuring: Sahra Davoudi, Milad Norouzi, Peter Paltos, Mary Sitarenos Musician: Vahideh Eisaei Writers: Patricia Cornelius, Sahra Davoudi, Tes Lyssiotis, Wahibe Moussa, Milad Norouzi, Melissa Reeves, Christos Tsiolkas Dramaturg: Maryanne Lynch Design: Adrienne Chisholm Lighting Designer: Gina Gascoigne
The Audition
La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond Street, Carlton
Season: 14 – 24 November 2019
Bookings: www.lamama.com.au
For more information, visit: www.outerurbanprojects.org for details.
Image: Milad Norouzi and Irine Vela – photo by Miguel Rios and Meredith O’Shea