Poppy Seed Theatre Festival Announces 2017 Lineup

The 2017 Poppy Seed Theatre Festival is like a large mixed bouquet of everyone's favourite flowers - no two options are the same, but they all beautiful. This year's tall poppies are:

• Alexithymia - Citizen Theatre & A_tistic
• Romeo Is Not The Only Fruit - Jean Tong
• BREAD CRUMBS - Ruby Johnston & Benjamin Nichol
• Lost: 5 by Daniel Keene - Illumi-Nation Theatre
• Tandem - Gravity Dolls

As its most diverse and expansive curated program, this year's Poppy Seed Theatre Festival presents new Australian works that include a choose your own circus adventure; an intelligent and quirky lesbian musical; a female's perspective of the world from autistic experiences and a politically savvy fantastical retelling of a children's fable.

Poppy Seed Theatre Festival co-director, Philip Hayden, explains that the works in the third festival created by over 35 theatre makers are bold, fresh and aching to be seen, "As part of a highly competitive process, an artistic panel comprising some of Melbourne's leading theatre artists review and curate the most outstanding viable works for the festival program."

"Poppy Seed is growing in recognition, supporting and developing more independent artists and are excited to be increasing our footprint across Melbourne" said Hayden.
This year the Poppy Seed Theatre Festival program will be presented in partnership with four venues across Melbourne, including the Meat Market in North Melbourne, Irene Mitchell Studio in South Yarra, The Butterfly Club in the city and Chapel off Chapel in Prahran.

Since its inception, Poppy Seed Theatre Festival has maintained a strong relationship with the City of Melbourne and this year increases its reach into the City of Stonnington and partnered with Chapel off Chapel to present Tandem a new circus work by Gravity Dolls.

Currently in Melbourne, Poppy Seed Theatre Festival is one of the last dedicated platforms that showcases and supports independent theatre makers - it was founded and created during a period when the arts sector was seeking creative strategies to champion independent theatre makers and artists.

"Funding for the arts remains in an uncertain and transitional phase. During this continued period of uncertainty, Poppy Seed has offered consistent support and opportunities to our artists, audiences, partners and the creative heart of Melbourne," explained Hayden. "We are confident you'll enjoy this year's bunch of tall poppies - there's something for everyone."

Poppy Seed Theatre Festival 8 November - 9 December 2017

poppyseed.net.au
Festival tickets: $20 Festival gala, $45 Alexithymia opening night and festival gala, $120 - $155 for 5 x shows and festival gala $110 - $145 for 5 x shows $60 - $90 for 3 x shows.

---

Alexithymia - Citizen Theatre & A_tistic

World premiere

8 - 19 November 2017

Do you know how you really feel?

Citizen Theatre and A_tistic have joined forces to create a new theatrical work, Alexithymia, which aims to simulate an autistic experience of the world for audiences.

Alexithymia is a condition that noticeably affects 85% of people diagnosed on the autism spectrum and is defined as an inability to name or describe emotions.

Developed and presented by a neuro-diverse cast and creative team, Alexithymia is a speculative fiction, featuring an interdependent and delicate mix of sensory stimuli, sound design and stylised performances.

Alexithymia is presented as three short works - Social_function.exe is about an autistic woman who invents an Artificial Intelligence implant to navigate a job interview; The Curious Case of You is a game show that puts audiences' emotional intelligence to the test; and Nirvana Syndrome follows a woman who has no desire for anything and is consequently defined by other people's expectations.

A_tistic artistic director and Alexithymia playwright, Tom Middleditch is diagnosed on the autism spectrum - he says alexithymia can be best thought of as the distance one is from what they feel.

"Alexithymia is structured to encourage autistic thinking. Each piece explores a theme borne from the condition, alexithymia, but the full experience only emerges once the audience starts to recognise the patterns between the short works. You often hear people say we are all on the autism spectrum and by experiencing this play, audiences will not only learn about autistic thought processes, but also learn how it feels and how they may have experienced these feelings themselves," said Middleditch.

The Alexithymia season will include a sensory friendly/relaxed performance.

Citizen Theatre citizentheatre.com.au

A_tistic Facebook: @atistictheatre

Production Alexithymia - Citizen Theatre & A_tistic

Season 8 - 19 November 2017

Preview Wed 8 Nov

Opening Thu 9 Nov

Times 8pm Tue - Sun and 4pm Sat 18 Nov

Duration 90 minutes

Venue Meat Market, Stables

Address Corner of Courtney and Wreckyn Streets, North Melbourne

Tickets $22 - $35

Bookings poppyseed.net.au

---

Romeo Is Not The Only Fruit - Jean Tong

World premiere

14 - 26 November 2017

There's something so enticing about forbidden fruit

A musical romp better than the best mod-rom-com, Romeo Is Not The Only Fruit takes the star-crossed lovers audiences know and love, and makes them better as starcrossed lesbians.

Featuring a Dead Lesbian chorus and some pretty gay songs, Romeo Is Not The Only Fruit is fun, campy, politically irreverent and casually incisive.

Writer, director and lyricist Jean Tong explains that the creative team are young, queer and want to party while opening up pathways into shifting the state of representation as it currently stands, "It's 2017 and the world is still telling the same, tired old story about queer people of colour and our access to spaces."

"Whether on the news or on Netflix, we're still watching ourselves die for someone else's happiness, someone else's comfort. Romeo Is Not The Only Fruit is a tongue-in-cheek, fist-in-air response to this, because we're pissed off, charming, hilarious and write catchy songs," said Tong.

As a political satire with a meet-cute, cultural clash, sex, death and a dastardly plan, Romeo Is Not The Only Fruit is a whirlwind journey with tropes that have never been seen before, featuring lesbians galore, a spicy score and an even spicier ending.

Jean Tong jeantong.com

Production Romeo Is Not The Only Fruit - Jean Tong

Season 14 - 26 November 2017

Preview Tue 14 Nov

Opening Wed 15 Nov

Times 8.30pm Tue - Sun

Duration 75 minutes

Venue The Butterfly Club

Address 5 Carson Place, Melbourne

Tickets $22 - $35

Bookings poppyseed.net.au

---

BREAD CRUMBS - Ruby Johnston & Benjamin Nichol

World premiere

21 November - 2 December 2017

Once Upon a time there was no happily ever after

BREAD CRUMBS is a warped retelling of the well-known fable Hansel and Gretel - it's a crass and highly stylised exploration into the link between gender roles, domestic abuse and the scarring impact it has on young people.

Located in a world somewhere between the realms of a Grimm brothers fairy tale and the industrial landscape of suburban Dandenong, the reality of abuse and trauma is gradually revealed through a series of naive stories and games played out by two siblings in their attempt to survive the journey home.

In search of happiness, the two children set off on an epic adventure desperate to discover a new life - only to find that running away is sending them in circles.

Revelling in creating a dark and heightened examination of the Australian zeitgeist, devisors Ruby Johnston and Benjamin Nichol explain that black comedy is an excellent vessel to explore complex taboo issues that may provoke different thoughts and perspectives.

"For centuries fairy tales have been used to educate and entertain - yet so often at the heart of these beloved fables lies something twisted, sexist and sinister to which we tend to turn a blind eye. Domestic violence is a prominent issue in Australia and this work shows the impact, insecurities and problems it has on the younger generation," said Nichol.

A self-devised work created by a team of recent graduates of the Victorian College of the Arts, BREAD CRUMBS is narrative told through the lens of childhood innocence dealing with uncertain circumstances.

Beginning as a traditional fairy tale, BREAD CRUMBS quickly morphs into a dark and sinister world where anything is possible and nothing is at it seems - it's mystical, magical and dangerous.

Production BREAD CRUMBS - Ruby Johnston & Benjamin Nichol

Season 21 November - 2 December 2017

Preview Tue 21 Nov

Opening Wed 22 Nov

Times 8pm Tue - Sun and 4pm Sat 2 Dec

Duration 60 minutes

Venue Meat Market, Stables

Address Corner of Courtney and Wreckyn Streets, North Melbourne

Tickets $22 - $35

Bookings poppyseed.net.au

---

Lost: 5 by Daniel Keene - Illumi-Nation Theatre

World premiere

22 November - 3 December 2017

5 lost souls living on the streets of Melbourne

"People that sleep rough are never ever just homeless. They come with a range of complex issues...trauma, serious mental health issues ... addiction...many years prior to someone sleeping on the streets." - Major Brendan Nottle, The Salvation Army, 29 June 2016

Illumi-Nation Theatre director, Michele McNamara, has brought together five poetic monologues from award-winning Australian playwright, Daniel Keene, that invite audiences to consider the multi-faceted issue of homelessness through the eyes of those who have found themselves, simply, yet despairingly, lost.

Illumi-Nation Theatre is dedicated to illuminating and humanising issues of social justice, giving voice to those in the community to have been misunderstood, unjustly treated or marginalised and promoting greater understanding of the hidden complexities involved.

The success of Illumi-Nation Theatre's recent Melbourne Fringe production, 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane, was described as 'a brave production of an extremely difficult text' (Stage Whispers) - it demonstrates that this company is willing and able to bring the difficult issues to the attention of Melbourne audiences.

Ilumi-Nation Theatre will, once again, collaborate with composer and sound design MBYRO (Matt Brown) who will perform on stage with the ensemble; and in addition to his original compositions he will sample organic street sounds and bring forth a sense of multiculturalism through music and spoken word.

Daniel Keene has been described as a 'dangerous playwright' as he 'works right on the moral edge' (Sydney Morning Herald) - he has been acclaimed throughout Australia, the United States and Poland; and since the late 1990s has established himself as one of Europe's most notable contemporary playwrights.

The monologues chosen by McNamara are: A Foundling, Two Shanks, Getting Shelter, The Rain and Kaddish.

Production Lost: 5 by Daniel Keene - Illumi-Nation Theatre

Season 22 November - 3 December 2017

Preview Wed 22 Nov

Opening Thu 23 Nov

Times 8pm Tue - Sun and 4pm Sat 4 Dec

Duration 75 minutes

Venue Irene Mitchell Studio

Address 44 St Martins Lane, South Yarra

Tickets $22 - $35

Bookings poppyseed.net.au

---

Tandem - Gravity Dolls

World premiere

28 November - 9 December 2017

A choose your own circus adventure

Inspired by retro video games, board games and the absurdity of Japanese game shows, Melbourne-based circus-duo Gravity Dolls creates a new interactive performance game: Tandem.

Bridging the gap between how generations play games, Tandem is fun, spontaneous and interactive - it allows audiences to work together to play a suite of games with a circus twist.

Featuring an assortment of object manipulation, stunning acrobatics, hand balancing and ingenious physical theatre, the games may include giant Jenga with an acrobat perched on top as pieces are removed; Twister where the players wear the twister mat; and ring tossing aimed at toilet plungers that are suctioned to performers heads.

Walking the line between the spectacular and the absurd, the creation of Tandem is a collaboration between Gravity Dolls and one of Australia's leading jugglers: Byron Hutton.

Writer and performer Tarah Carey said that juggling is on the verge of extinction in Australian circus shows, "We're thrilled to be collaborating with Byron who has a unique approach to the artform and cannot wait to combine our skills in innovative and exciting ways."

Gravity Dolls is a collaboration between Carey and Tim Rutty - they draw on circus, movement and theatre and look to disrupt the perception of what circus is and what circus should be.

In Tandem, Gravity Dolls will premiere a new impressive circus adagio act where Carey is a strong woman and lift Rutty (who is 6kg heavier) in a hand-to-hand sequence.

Gravity Dolls gravitydolls.com

Production Tandem - Gravity Dolls

Season 28 November - 9 December 2017

Preview Tue 28 Nov

Opening Wed 29 Nov

Times 8pm Tue - Sun and 4pm Sat 9 Dec

Duration 60 minutes

Venue Chapel Off Chapel, The Loft

Address 12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran

Tickets $22 - $35

Bookings poppyseed.net.au

Photo credit: Jules Tahan

To post a comment, you must register and login.