Fresh from the carnage of Canberra’s political chopping block, The Hansard Monologues: Age of Entitlement returns in a completely new production, turning its focus to Australian life under the Coalition.
Capturing the passion and the policies, the opinions and the onions, the banter and the boats, the lies and the lifestyle choices, the tantrums and the travel rorts, the spills and the sex appeal of the 44th Parliament of Australia and distils it into a 100-minute helicopter ride through the tax-payer funded issues of our democracy.
Four actors answer the big questions of Question Time and beyond using only the parliamentary prose as recorded in Hansard. If parliament is really our nation talking to and about itself, what in Edmund Barton’s name has it been saying these past three years? And, what did we get in return for our votes?
Take a bite into verbatim theatre at it’s most raw as it shines a light on all that is good, bad and horribly indifferent about the state of our democracy. This humorous, humbling and heuristic theatrical experience comes fresh from the keyboard of Katie Pollock and Paul Daley, two of the nation’s sharpest writers.
Directed by Timothy Jones, the cast of seasoned actors includes Michelle Doake (Romeo & Juliet, Absent Friends, The Wharf Revue), John Gaden (Seventeen, Orlando, Macbeth), Andrew McFarlane (Deathtrap, Devil’s Playground, Play School) and Heather Mitchell (Hay Fever, Strictly Ballroom, A Place to Call Home).
Whether you lift or lean, love ‘em or loathe ‘em, someone’s got to keep the bastards honest, The Hansard Monologues is here to do just that!
The Hansard Monologues: Age of Entitlement
York Theatre – The Seymour Centre, Corner City Road and Cleveland Strett, Chippendale
Season: 5 – 13 August 2015
Information and Bookings: www.seymourcentre.com
Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, 32 Burelli Street, Wollongong
Season: 17 – 20 August 2016
Information and Bookings: www.merrigong.com.au
Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, 18 King George Terrace, Parkes (Canberra)
Season: 26 – 28 August 2016
Information and Bookings: www.moadoph.gov.au
Image: courtesy of Mike Bowers