New Play KINDRED Premieres at Revolt Artspace Next Month

A provocative new Australian play by actor-writer-producer Rachael Blackwood is set to debut at Revolt Artspace, Kensington in December, for a two-week run.

Opening on Wednesday 3 December, Kindred lays bare the 'shiver and shade' of falling in love with someone whose initial loving behaviour becomes increasingly manipulative and abusive. Featuring a cast of seven, six of whom play different and often conflicting aspects of the main (female) character, Kindred reveals the torment and uncertainty behind the discovery that your partner's violence is not going to stop-in fact, it's going to get worse.

The play takes audiences on a roller-coaster ride of falling in love, dismissing early warning signs of abuse, and experiencing the confusion, terror and constant questioning that characterises an abusive relationship. It probes a question commonly asked by people outside the relationship: 'Why doesn't she just leave?'.

Directed by Lisa Treloar, it is a raw and unflinching insight into the development of an abusive relationship, and one that will stay with audiences long after it is over.

As a passionate feminist and advocate for women's rights, Rachael Blackwood has partnered with the Women's Domestic Violence Crisis Service of Victoria (WDVCS) for this project.

WDVCS is a state-wide not-for-profit service providing emergency accommodation, a free 24-hour crisis line, outreach and advocacy services, working collaboratively with police and the criminal justice system to enable women and children to become, and stay, free from violence and abuse. Ten percent of gross ticket sales will be donated to WDVCS and additional donations will be collected via charity tins at the venue.

Family violence affects people from all walks of life regardless of age, culture, sexual identity, ability, ethnicity, religion or socioeconomic status. In Victoria alone, the WDVCS crisis line receives 50,000 calls every year. With the increasing level of media coverage that this issue deserves, demand for their services is greater than ever.