For 18 months theatre-maker Roslyn Oades and her trusty tape recorder followed a determined, young boxer from Bankstown through his preparations for a world-title fight. I’m Your Man is the story of who she and her tape recorder met along the way: past legends, up-and-comers and failed contenders whose lives have been irreversibly changed by the fight game. This Sydney Festival, Downstairs Belvoir turns boxing gym: place of dreams, of glory, of a better life, where everyone wants to be special and only one thing is certain – that no matter how high you fly you will eventually lose. I’m Your Man is no ordinary slice-of-life. The actors wear earpieces and take their lines directly from the ringsides, gyms and dressing rooms of Oades’ recordings. This is fuelled-up, high-stakes, real-deal theatre.I’m Your Man is the third of a trilogy by Oades about acts of bravery and the psychology of respect. Behind the thrilling, brutal sport lies a compelling tale of courage and its cost.
