Merrigong Theatre Company to Present THE OUTSIDE MAN

Merrigong Theatre Company, in association with The Disability Trust, brings a delightfully original and anarchic original performance to the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre stage with The Outside Man from 15th to 25th March, part of the Merrigong 2017 Season.

Featuring a brilliant ensemble of performers, some of whom are perceived to have intellectual disabilities, The Outside Man is a brave, new and outrageously original musical theatre work from the team behind The Man Who Dreamt the Stars (2014).

A dark, rain drenched alley with an unmarked doorway welcomes guests to The Sweet Wrapper Club. In The Sweet Wrapper Club, love doesn't come with a happy ending, but rather with a bearded clown, hibernating bears and lonely catbirds. Here, love not only comes with a song and dance, but also a mouth full of fairy floss.

"We are particularly proud of our long-standing partnership with The Disability Trust, which is a part of Merrigong's commitment to a diverse and all-inclusive arts environment," said Simon Hinton, artistic director of Merrigong Theatre Company. "The program showcases the extraordinary artistic vision and skill of the performers, and what they have created in The Outside Man is a truly unique, intelligent and moving piece of work."

Featuring extraordiary live musicians Daryl Wallis (Dead Man Brake, Landscape with Monsters), Tim Oxley (The Dearhunters, Roger Loves Betty) and Jodi Phillis (The Clouds) The Outside Man has been developed by Anne-Louise Rentell and Daryl Wallis alongside the ensemble through a series of intensive workshops held throughout 2016.

An anarchic performance in which our learnt experience of romantic love is hijacked and reimagined, The Outside Man is an entertaining, imaginative and touching exploration of our ability to love and to be loved.

Tickets are on sale now via www.merrigong.com.au.