SALTWATER GIRLS to Make Victorian Premiere at Melbourne Fringe

Lana Filies' solo work Saltwater Girls arrives at Melbourne Fringe from 5 October. Bringing a sharp, darkly funny exploration of queer girlhood, Catholic school and the long road to finding your own way.

Following a successful Sydney Fringe season, Saltwater Girls will make its Victorian premiere at Melbourne Fringe this October, with performances running from 5-11 October at The Motley WhereHaus.

Written and performed by Lana Filies and directed by Amelia Gilday, Saltwater Girls takes audiences inside the strange, funny and often complicated world of Catholic school, where religious ritual, teenage desire and the expectations placed on young women collide.

At the centre of the work is a queer girl growing up surrounded by rules about who she should be, how she should behave and what kind of future she is expected to imagine for herself. Infusing storytelling and poetry, Filies creates a deeply personal work that moves between humour, discomfort and moments of genuine tenderness.

Saltwater Girls explores the ways young people encounter sexuality and identity within institutions that may not have the language, space or willingness to accommodate them. The result is a solo performance that is both personal and playful, examining girlhood through the lens of memory, faith, desire and survival.

The work has already made an impression on audiences and critics in Sydney. Sydney Travel Guide described Saltwater Girls as a 'must see performance', praising Filies' writing, wit, comedic timing and charisma.

For Filies, bringing Saltwater Girls to Melbourne offers an opportunity to continue developing the conversation around the work while introducing it to a new audience.

The production is presented by Moon Bureau, with Gilday at the helm as director. The Sydney based arts collective's practice centres on collaborative, hybrid and socially engaged performance, with a particular interest in identity, connection and the ways theatre can create space for different perspectives.