Qtopia Will Present THE RED SHOES in a Queer Re-Imagining This April
This new work arrives fresh from its sold-out season at NIDA's Festival of Emerging Artists.
Qtopia will present The Red Shoes, a bold new adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic folktale at Qtopia Sydney's Loading Dock Theatre, from 15th to 25th April. This new work arrives fresh from its sold-out season at NIDA's Festival of Emerging Artists.
After losing his mother, an orphaned boy is taken in by a wealthy old widow who offers him shelter, fine clothes, and a striking pair of red shoes from a local shoemaker. The shoes awaken something within him, becoming a powerful symbol of his true self and his unspoken desire.
When he dances in the red shoes, the boy discovers freedom, passion and love, sharing a tender moment with a young soldier that changes everything. But in a town ruled by fear and tradition, his joy is met with judgment. Rejected by the church and shunned by the community, he is forced to choose between conformity and authenticity.
Defiant and determined, the boy steps into his future, toward a life shaped by courage, identity and self-expression.
Directed by NIDA-trained Australian theatre director Jason Forrest and adapted by Emma Rice, The Red Shoes includes original music composed by Stu Barker alongside a live soundtrack of iconic 80's hits, poems by Anna Maria Murphy, and whimsical set and costume designs by Brooke Bostock and Edward John. Featuring a stellar line-up of NIDA-trained actors who transform into an eclectic array of characters, this highly theatrical reimagining of Andersen's tale amplifies the story's heart, rebellion, and queer celebration.
Director Jason Forrest said, “Hans Christian Andersen's 1845 folktale The Red Shoes examines the cost of following one's true desire and what it means to ‘dance a different dance'. My personal experience as a young gay man growing up in suburban Australia in the late 1980s and early 1990s, coupled with the ongoing censorship and erasure of queer stories and the erosion of LGBTQIA+ rights, underpins our reimagining of The Red Shoes as a vital queer story for today, reframing the orphan as male to spark conversation, action and debate about LGBTQIA+ rights worldwide.”
