Theatre Republic Presents HOW NOT TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA

Theatre Republic heads to the big apple with the world premiere production of Emily Steel's sharply observed drama HOW NOT TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA at the Adelaide Festival Centre.

Following from its sold-out season of Angus Cerini's The Bleeding Tree, HOW NOT TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA sees Theatre Republic bring its first commission to the stage with the support of Arts South Australia's Arts Recovery Fund.

Company Manager Manda Flett says, "2021 has been a busy year for Theatre Republic, with the staging of FUTURE:PRESENT, and the development of Emily Steel's cracker of a play. There's this strange phenomenon among independent theatre companies that sees them wind up after three years. We're thrilled that, in our third year, we're bringing our most ambitious production to date to the stage with the support of our community and Arts South Australia."

Directed by the award-winning Corey McMahon (The Bleeding Tree, Eh Joe, 1984) and set in the year 2001, HOW NOT TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA tells the story of Matt, a young actor from Adelaide who has followed his girlfriend to New York with the hopes of making it big. As the September 11 attacks throw the city into chaos, Matt begins to unravel and become disillusioned with his new way of life.

Artistic Director Corey McMahon says, "Our world has been irrevocably shaped by the September 11 attacks. In a way, we've all become a little bit more American as a result. In HOW NOT TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA, Emily Steel has written an incredibly funny and poignant portrait of a man losing his identity and, in the process, has provided a profound look at the world we currently live in."

The play is based on Emily Steel's (Euphoria, 19 Weeks) own experiences living and working in New York in 2001, which she turned into a short monologue that was presented as part of State Theatre Company South Australia's Decameron 2.0 project.

Playwright Emily Steel says, "I wasted my youth in New York. It was brilliant. It was a disaster. I did many stupid things. After 9/11 happened, many people did stupid things, in response to it, trying to cope with it, trying to escape from it. It took me years to wrap my head around what happened that day and the effect it had on all of us, whether we were in the city or on the other side of the world. And it's taken me many more years to write something about it."

HOW NOT TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA will star beloved South Australian actor James Smith (Jasper Jones, Euphoria, Hibernation), who will play upwards of ten roles in a virtuosic performance unlike anything he's ever attempted before.

Actor James Smith says, "Emily and I have had a long working relationship and I really love her writing- she has this wicked sense of humour that audiences really love. Her work is an absolute joy to perform. As an actor, to have the opportunity to challenge yourself and embed yourself into a world that is so rich is a real gift. I'm pumped. And more than a little bit nervous, if I'm being honest."

Theatre Republic has assembled a team of South Australian theatre heavyweights for the production, which will feature set and costume design by Meg Wilson (Amphibian, Eureka Day), lighting and AV

design by Chris Petridis (Creation Creation, The Bleeding Tree, Objekt) and original composition by Jason Sweeney (Emission, The Bleeding Tree, A View from the Bridge).

The show will also be filmed by local production company Replay Creative early in the season so as to ensure audiences will have the chance to experience the show digitally, should restrictions be placed on live performance.

"In 2020, our production of The Bleeding Tree was on a knife-edge," says Corey McMahon, "during our rehearsal period we had to stare down a second postponement for the season. We want to make sure that, no matter what, we're serving our audiences here in South Australia. We're thrilled to be working with so many incredible creative people on this show. We can't wait for audiences to not make it in America with us."

HOW NOT TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA will run for a strictly limited season at Adelaide Festival Centre's Space Theatre.

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