dollpARTS Presents BATTLERS AND DREAMERS at Sydney Fringe

Get set for the most pleasurably indulgent soak in a soapy TV nostalgia bath ever,
when BATTLERS AND DREAMERS gushes into town for the Sydney Fringe!

This original musical comedy - by heirs of TV soap royalty, Romy Bartz & Erin Brookhouse - makes its world premiere at The Midnight Shift and Giant Dwarf from 1 to 11 September.

With a large and multi-talented cast of all-singing, all-dancing performers, this loving homage to 1980s Australian TV soap leaves no cliché unturned, no fashion crime unrepeated... with a script and music that will make you both cringe, then cheer - then want to join in!

Taking its starting point from Australia's shortest-lived 80's soap of the same name, the creators of BATTLERS & DREAMERS claim to have discovered the lost tapes; bravely, they invite Sydneysiders to settle in for a memorable experience that turns theatre into live TV - complete with opening credits and theme-song!

Join them as the show follows local country family The Grundys battling big business, while their only daughter (with dreams of pop stardom... of course) prepares to marry a bad boy with a past he can't recall.

Laugh and cry with the people of Mainsbridge as they struggle through their domestic dramas... and fight to ignite their dreams!

Romy Bartz and Erin Brookhouse devised this new work, inspired by their shared history and affinity with the genre. While Romy's mum, Belinda Giblin, appeared in classic Aussie shows such as The Sullivans and Sons and Daughters (where Romy spent much of her childhood on set), Erin's grandfather, producer/writer Don Harley and his actress wife June Thody, worked in the same circles.

BATTLERS & DREAMERS by Romy Bartz and Erin Brookhouse stars Lauren Pegus as Charmayne Grundy, Phillipe Klaus as Shane McAllistar, Jacqueline Marriott as Danni, Harley Connor as Clinton Hardcastle, Lynden Jones and Angeline Neville as Geoff and Pam Grundy, Kim Taylor as Lesley Wrangler, Ben Crisp as Dwayne and Joel Thomas as Constable Craig Hardy (moonlighting as a dancer!), with Rebecca Wewege as fellow back-up dancer and Irene Nicola as the Casio Keyboardist! Bartz directs with Brookhouse contributing choreography & musical direction.

Doll pARTS is an emerging performance collective drawn together by a passion for creating bold, new theatre that challenges venue and audience conventions. Their debut work IDLE LIES appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald's 'Spectrum Now Festival' 2015.

Doll pARTS presents BATTLERS AND DREAMERS by Romy Bartz and Erin Brookhouse

The Midnight Shift 85 Oxford St Darlinghurst Thu 1, Fri 2, Sat 3 Sept at 7.30pm

Giant Dwarf 199 Cleveland St Redfern Sat 10, Sun 11 Sept at 7pm

Tickets $25/ $18.50 conc. www.sydneyfringe.com or www.giantdwarf.com.au
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View trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtJqLgP-mQA