From 7-20 June, NIDA is holding its annual June production season and this is not one to be missed.
The program includes an eclectic mix of works – one brand-new, two Shakespearean classics and two renowned international pieces – each featuring an all-student cast and crew and led by an accomplished guest director.
The premiere of The Olympians, a new work by NIDA’s Head of Writing for Performance Stephen Sewell, spearheads the production season. Former Head of Acting Jeff Janisheski returns to NIDA to direct this production that is set on the last night of the world’s biggest sporting event, The Olympic Games. With a stadium-like set and glossy façade, this feisty production captures a moment in time when all the tensions, jealousies and general relief finally explode in an exuberant burst of madness and frivolity during the Australian Muck-Up Party.
‘It is a real thrill to return to NIDA to direct this group of talented third-year students and work again with Stephen Sewell. After the success of our first collaboration, we decided to create another piece The Olympians- a show that uses the prism of the Olympics Games in Rio to examine the themes: power, oppression and national identity, with a wild and wicked sense of humour. I hope you all come see this very timely, extremely political and hysterically funny play,’ commented Mr Janisheski.
The first of the classical productions is a unique take on the popular A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Playwriting Australia Associate Artist Iain Sinclair. Inspired by the surrealist work of David Lynch and featuring ghostly puppetry elements, this is a darkly comic tale of magic, deceit and above all, love.
Marius von Mayenburg’s Eldorado explores a dystopian future in which a bourgeois world teeters on the edge of an abyss, while violence and bloodshed rages all around. This provocative production directed by NIDA graduate Imara Savage, is about how we bunker down and seek to cement our privilege and wealth, whilst others are buried beneath the rubble. It’s about what we sacrifice of ourselves in the search for Eldorado, the fabled city of lost gold.
Part thriller, part Greek tragedy, the next production is Scorched by Wadji Mouawad – a heartbreaking journey that follows two siblings as they attempt to unravel the mystery of their deceased mother’s life. This production is directed by Sydney Theatre Company’s current co-Resident Director, Sarah Goodes, and explores the importance of one’s history and the brutal yet beautiful nature of family.
Belvoir Associate Tom Wright’s Twelfth Night completes the June production season. A play about losing your identity and finding it again – dressed as someone else, this production follows a sister and brother as they find their way home from a dream of unrequited love, mistaken identity and adventure. With the pain of love at the centre, Shakespeare’s comedy delves into the darkness of humanity, where cruelty lies close to joy.
With a diverse mix of five productions, the upcoming June production season promises to be captivating!
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit nida.edu.au/june-productions.
Photography by LisaMaree Williams.
