MEMORIES THAT SMELL LIKE GASOLINE to Make Australian Premiere

Memories That Smell Like Gasoline, will have its Australian premiere as part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, from Tuesday 16 February until Saturday 27 February 2016.

For most of his life, David Wojnarowicz (Voy-Na-Ro-Vich) considered himself the ultimate outsider and a true invisible man. "I'm a blank spot in a hectic civilization," he writes in this fierce and unforgettable collection of autobiographical pieces. Wojnarowicz, who died of AIDS in New York City at the age of thirty-seven, left behind a body of work that was staggering in its variety and originality. Painter, writer, photographer, performance artist, and filmmaker, he made an indelible mark on virtually every stage of the international arts scene. Yet nowhere does his anger, love, or compassion show itself as strongly as in his writing, which prompted critics to call him the Jack Kerouac of his generation. The world as seen through Wojnarowicz's eyes is stark, cruel, and cold-and yet gloriously alive, ennobled by surprising acts of heartrending humanity.

"David Wojnarowicz is a hero in the fight against the discrimination faced by the GLBTQ community," said Producer Director Stephen Colyer. "He ferociously fought the inaction to combat AIDS with the full force of his creative energy, using visual art as a powerful protest tool. His language is urgent, visceral and passionately condemning of those who heartlessly ignore the suffering of vulnerable and marginalised members of society. Above all, his stories encapsulate the drama of being human, ranging from the need for love and belonging to the tension between danger and arousal that informs sexuality. David's achievements as an artist and activist offer an imaginative scope for theatre that is irresistible to a theatre maker."

Director, Stephen Colyer has been a regular contributor to the Mardi Gras Festival with his productions of Falsettos, Torch Song Trilogy, The Paris Letter, The Kiss of the Spider Woman the Musical and Boston Marriage. His latest creation blends spoken text, physical-theatre, music and visual-art to evoke the exhilarating energy and passion of this firebrand artist and activist. Starring Caleb Alloway (The Paris Letter, The History Boys). This Australian Premiere Season, created especially for Mardi Gras Festival 2016 is set to be a highlight of the festival.

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