The Seed Opens At Arts Centre Melbourne February 22

The Seed opens Wednesday 22 February 2012 at 8pm at Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio.

About the show: "This semi-autobiographical play, written by West Australian playwright Kate Mulvany, stars Max Gillies, Sara Gleeson and Tony Martin. As an acclaimed writer and actor, this is the first time that Mulvany has not played the central character, Rose, in a professional production. As Mulvany says, ‘I’m really interested to see what Sara does.’"

‘My first impression of The Seed was that here was a writer writing absolutely hot. She knows the territory she’s writing about, because it comes out of her experience. It’s an immigrant story, a father-daughter story, a father-son story. And she skillfully mixes these elements within a very delicate three-act structure. The Seed is pristine writing, very assured,’ said Aidan Fennessy, a member of MTC’s Season 2012 Programming Team.

"It’s been thirty years between visits. Still traumatized Vietnam War veteran, Danny Maloney is understandably nervous about reuniting with his irascible ex-IRA father Brian in the Nottingham house he grew up in. Danny’s daughter Rose is a writer and is looking forward to recording the reunion and meeting her grandfather for the first time. But it doesn’t take long to sour, as the buried secrets of the Maloney family bubble to the surface."

When talking about the inception of the play, Kate Mulvany said, ‘Suddenly I was a 30 year-old child, sitting at the feet of my various storytellers with eyes wide, mouth agape, listening to tales and emotions and histories never before shared. The only problem was that, in order to tell their stories, I had to tell mine.’

Kate Mulvany is a BA graduate from Curtin University. As a writer, her plays include Father O Friendly, Blood & Bones (winner of Naked Theatre Company’s Write Now competition), Story Time, Derek Drives a Datsun, Vaseline Lollies, Naked Ambition, The Musical Somewhere (co-written with Tim Minchin) and The Embalmer! The Musical (co-written with Pip Banson). Mulvany’s play The Danger Age was shortlisted for the 2004 PatRick White Playwrights’ Award and she was the winner of the 2004 Philip Parsons Young Playwrights’ Award, from which The Seed was commissioned. The Seed won the Best Independent Production award and was nominated for Best New Australian Work in the 2007 Sydney Theatre Awards.

Since participating in the 2010 Cybec Readings as part of MTC’s Emerging Artists Development Program, Anne-Louise Sarks now makes her MTC directing debut with The Seed. Currently she is Artistic Director of the acclaimed independent theatre company, The Hayloft Project and has also been Director in Residence at Malthouse Theatre and Associate Artist at Belvoir.

Director Anne-Louise Sarks
Set and Costume Designer Christina Smith
Lighting Designer Matt Scott
Composer/Sound Designer Jethro Woodward

Cast Max Gillies (Brian), Sara Gleeson (Rose), Tony Martin (Danny)

The Seed
Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio
Season Dates 17 February to 4 April 2012
Opening Night Wednesday 22 February 2012 at 8pm
Tickets from $56 (Under 30s just $33)
Booking Details The MTC Theatre Box Office 03 8688 0800 or mtc.com.au;
Arts Centre Melbourne 1300 182 183 or artscentremelbourne.com.au

Mini subscriptions 3-6 play packages start from as little as $186; (Under 30s from $87)