Ever eager for the fray, Black Apple Theatre throw themselves into Melbourne’s Midsumma Festival this February with an incendiary new production of The Seagull, and a howl of protest at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s anti-gay laws.
More peace march than picket line, some cheeky cross-casting from the production’s makers has given Chekhov’s famous Russian riff on forbidden love some fresh clout in the argument for equality.
In a rebellious mash-up of theatre, animation and live music, Director Cheyney Caddy, Animator Christie Widiarto and Composer Jess Keefe are kicking their way into the canon by transplanting the hallowed Russian classic into the suburban badlands of Putin’s Russia – where, in defiance of their parents and the State, three teenage girls play a dangerous game.
The re-imagined Seagull is “a celebration of the creative freedom we enjoy in Australia,” says Caddy, who also claims the work as an act of protest: “Russia’s LGBTI community has been silenced by Putin’s laws and, as artists, that’s something we should be making noise about.”
Bloody, irreverent, explosive: Black Apple’s Seagull is a very queer bird indeed!
Director: Cheyney Caddy Featuring: Elliot Gee, Eleanor Howlett, Caitlin Lavery, Tom Milton, Sandy Morrison, Rebecca Riggs, Patrick Durnan Silva, Honor Wolff Animations: Christie Widiarto Original Score / Musical Direction: Jess Keefe Scenic Design: Adam ‘Gus’ Powers Costume Design: Emilija Tanner Assistant Director: Cora McCormack
The Seagull
Northcote Town Hall, 189 High Street, Northcote
Season: 2 – 7 February 2016
Bookings: (03) 9481 9500 or online at: www.northcotetownhall.com.au
For more information, visit: www.blackappletheatre.com for details.
Image: Cast of The Seagull – photo by Fenstar Images