Montague Basement Runs Ambitious Season at the Sydney Fringe
By: Nora Dominick Aug. 11, 2016
Independent theatre collective Montague Basement has announced a three-show season at the Sydney Fringe, creating a dynamic residency at the Erskineville Town Hall.
The season will see a diverse mix of new and established work, opening with a new devised piece from emerging Sydney-based artists Hannah Cox and Caitlin West, Tammy & Kite.
From an all-female team, Tammy & Kite follows a young girl as she processes the trauma of her older sister's illness, exploring the ways in which children use play to understand their world.
"Children are so often over-simplified," notes performer and deviser Hannah Cox. "By exploring the process of grief from a child's point of view we are seeking to look back on and legitimise the child's voice, which is so often lost in the louder voices of the adults around them."
Tammy & Kite comprises a double bill with Metamorphoses, an ambitious adaptation of the epic Roman poem from Ovid that details the Greek myths that form the ancient canon.
From the team that adapted Procne & Tereus and All About Medea at previous Sydney Fringe Festivals, Metamorphoses is a tongue-in-cheek look at the hold that Greek storytelling still holds over us, and the narrative concerns that persist to today - with added Kanye.
"When you can reach back into the most ancient of texts and find threads that still seem relevant, it says a lot about the kinds of stories we like to tell" explains deviser and performer Lulu Howes. "Ovid mixes the legend with the familiar and ends up nailing that strange blend of humour and darkness, tragedy and pure basic fun that sticks in the mind and keeps us returning to those narratives time and time again."
The season will be rounded out by Sarah Kane's Crave, a searingly poetic work exploring the uglier parts of the human condition.
"Crave is the thing that keeps you up at night", explains director Michaela Savina. "It's ugly and hard and funny and joyful and unlike anything else on stage. In today's world where it feels like recently we've ricocheted from tragedy to tragedy and started to lose grip on how we deal with that, Sarah Kane gives us a language to ache".
Crave will be performed by an exciting cast of emerging and established actors Adam Doughty, Kate Pimblett, Clayton Moss and Eleni Schumacher.
The three works will be performed at the Erskineville Town Hall from the 13 - 24 of September.
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