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First Seen: Blue - a misery play
Blue – a misery play, by Dylan van den Berg
"Without suffering, what is a life? This worldly journey must be punctuated by pain and loss, or
there’d be hardly anything to talk about. Don’t ever forget that."
Sybilla Vrinklebottom is miserable. She’s lost her husband to the pool boy, her fortune to the bank and her career as a romance novelist has come to an agonizing end. Only her long-suffering housekeeper, Gaggle, remains to pick up the pieces – despite shouldering troubles of her own. A visit from Sybilla’s estranged daughter Annie (an amateur stand-up comedian) only complicates matters further, pushing Sybilla to breaking point. Barbed comments and fake explosives are lobbed across the living room before the appearance of Blue - a drag-queen draped in the colours of misery - sets them on the path to further destruction. The daiquiris are plentiful as they attempt to shed the baggage of the past to find a way forward. What is the personal cost of forgiveness? Do we get a choice about loving our parents? And can misery make you fabulous? Three women grapple with their personal demons against a backdrop of disco music.
Director: PJ Williams
Cast includes: barb barnett, Tracy Bourne, Virginia Savage, and Jarrad West
More information
Ever wondered about the steps a writer takes to develop works for the theatre? Or how new plays and performance works are chosen for upcoming seasons?
The ever popular FIRST SEEN: new works-in-progress offers Canberra audiences the opportunity to be part of our creative process helping The Street progress performance works to production-ready stage. First Seen offers a unique insight into development and is a vital part of our planning for future years as we seek to bring original and diverse Canberra stories to the stage.
Each writer has a dedicated workshop offering time, space, support, and expertise. Canberra audiences (that's you) are given the opportunity to participate in the development process through the public showings where we open up the floor for a conversation with playwright, director, dramaturg and the actors. By sharing your thoughts with the creative teams you help assist us progress the works to production and get a sneak peek into Canberra’s ingenious artistic community.
Public Showing:
Sunday August 20th, 3pm
Street Three
All tickets $15, which includes a glass of wine or hot beverage.
