COLLABORATOR Seeks to Keep the Conversation Going and #StopTheSilence

Had we sent out this media release two weeks ago, it would have gone under the radar as just another play about 'sexual assault'. However we live in a world where 30 years of Hollywood film-making has been blown open. A world where women are speaking out not just about the Hollywood scene, but the Australian scene and the Entertainment Industry as a whole - no matter where they are.

We live in a world that is asking how anyone could get away with such abuse for such a long period of time, and yet be connected to arguably some of the best films ever made? What does that say about those who have worked with him? What does it say about the Art itself? What does it say about the the women involved?

These and many more questions deserve a great deal of conversation and consideration. The statistics in Australia speak for themselves:

Reports of sexual assault on woman have risen for the fifth consecutive year to 23,052 survivors, to reach their highest levels in seven years. Victoria up by 14% on last year (Australian Bureau of Statistics).

Australia has one of the highest rates of reported sexual assault in the world, at almost 92 people per 100,000 of the population, according to the United Nations (Anderson, 2015 for SBS).

Partner violence kills 2 women a week in this country (Gillmore, 2017 SMH).

We can't run from these statistics nor the news of the day, Left Bauer Productions wants to add to the current conversation with the production of Collaborator by Yussef El Guindi presented by the Butterfly Club.

Collaborator is a one-woman show about the loneliness in intimacy and consent. Cass, a perturbed actor in a search for truth, welcomes the audience into her psyche as she rationalizes her thirst for attention with her personal boundaries. Through intimate, intertwining stories about her experiences with men, the audience gets to know Cass and feel, as she does, the presence of the unnamed collaborator who made all this possible.

As Misha Berson of the Seattle Times states in a review, "Collaborator delves into the contradictions between self-exposure and self-protection, and the dangers inherent in women openly 'acting out' within a society where sexism (and just differing sexual expectations) can spell trouble". She also comments on the fact that this one woman show was written by a man, a show that speaks to issues for both men and women. She states, "El Guindi is unusually bold about examining sexual- power dynamics from a female perspective".

Left Bauer Productions has a history of taking on projects that both push creative boundaries and challenge the social conscience. With a track record that includes successes such as Masterclass and Harvey Milk The Opera In Concert, and more recently Trash Goes Down The River about homelessness in Melbourne, Left Bauer welcomes the timely conversation that Collaborator will enable.

Kelley Young who will be playing Cass has this to say about the piece, "I am excited about delving into the character of 'Cass' and bringing the audience along for the journey. I identified with her character on a few levels, especially her strong identity, and how things can happen in our lives that can challenge and make you question everything. I hope this show will leave the audience examining their own boundaries and perceptions of the truth"

As Miquelle Radich from Drama in the Hood states, "Collaborator is a must-see for every human being, as the questions it provokes are ones we should all consider". Especially now more than ever.

Let's keep the conversation going and #StopTheSilence.

Produced by: Left Bauer Productions

Presented by: The Butterfly Club

Written by: Yussef El Guindi

Performed by: Kelley Young

Wednesday, November 22 - Sunday, November 26, 2018 at 7pm

Approx. 60 mins

The Butterfly Club, Carson Place off Little Collins, Melbourne CBD.

Tickets: $32 General $28 Concession

Tickets: https://thebutterflyclub.com/show/collaborator

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