HOMESICK Comes To Old 505 Theatre

HOMESICK is the story of three generations of women colliding in a single household. Sam's returned from New York, her mother Rachel is trying to keep her head above water, and her grandmother Eadie is slowly losing her marbles. Featuring a creative team that boasts some of Sydney's best and brightest emerging talent, HOMESICK by Sally Alrich-Smythe will have its premiere at the Old 505 Theatre on 8 October 2019.

Directed by Claudia Osborne (The Lady And The Tiger) and produced by Bontom (CHORUS), HOMESICK tells the story of Sam, the only girl who ever got out of Wallerawang in country NSW. After years of being a big fish in a small pond, Sam was selected to attend one of the New York's best music colleges on a full-scholarship. Only when she's there does she realise that all the effort she's put in to being a star, and the promises she's made to her mother and her hometown about being a success, are no longer her number one priority. Now Sam's back in Wallerawang, wishing it would all just be over.

Making her playwriting debut in the iconic Old 505 Theatre, Sally Alrich-Smythe is feeling excited: "The Old 505 is a great testing ground for new work, and I'm thrilled to be working with such a talented team including industry legends Deborah Galanos and Lyn Pierse."

Claudia Osborne the director has developed a reputation for integrating the latest video technology into her work, and HOMESICK features that technology in abundance. "Sally's writing is absolutely beautiful," Claudia says, "and her decision to include home videos in the story opened up a wealth of opportunities for us to create a world around these incredible characters. The intimacy of Old 505 theatre is a perfect location for a nuanced and intricately crafted story like HOMESICK."

Playing the lead role, Eliza Scott (CHORUS) says that HOMESICK is "a brilliant example of the kind of writing Sydney theatre needs right now. It's a story of women across generations, the power of expectation and motherhood, and has allowed me to bring some of my own music writing into the piece. I'm absolute stoked to be working on the show."

HOMESICK is a heart-warming and heart-breaking play that is sure to be one of this year's most memorable productions.

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