Cirrus@Austlit

'The fall of a dictator and the reverberations on the generation he jeopardised.

'1986, Manila, the Philippines. The world finally looks on as history is being made by a society tearing at the fabric of a regime and demanding change.

'On the fateful evening of President Ferdinand Marcos’ exile, young men climb the walls of Malacañang Palace, storm the hallways, and seat themselves on his throne. Among them are brothers Martin and Ernie — heroes... if only for a night.

'Nearly 40 years later, the siblings reunite in Brisbane, where Martin’s teenage son Leo is incensed that the dictator’s heir is being elected to the presidency of the Philippines. With a fresh revolution and some old family secrets in the air, the three men will reconnect over the conditions of love, the question of duty and the price of rebellion.

'In a watershed moment for Australian Filipino theatre, Jordan Shea’s Queensland Premier’s Drama Award-winning play draws on his multicultural experiences in an ambitious and haunting theatrical epic that celebrates the power of ordinary people to (re)discover their bravery and help shape history.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Never underestimate an 80-year-old. They’ve got a lot less to lose.

'Shirley has been playing Mrs. Claus at David Jones for forty years. Ever since she landed the role from a cattle call in 1983 out at a warehouse in Mascot, she’s taken pride and joy in taping down the white wig, patting on the rouge, and blowing the dust off her sparkling one-liners to delight children and parents as Santa’s finest off-sider. But this year, she turns up to work in early November, and is unceremoniously given her notice. Mrs Claus, say The Management, is “lacking in relevance”.

'A devastated Shirley decides to pick herself up and do battle on the fourth floor of David Jones – battling Millennial elves, screaming children and men-in-suits who feel she’s simply not up to it anymore. It’s a fight for survival, and Shirley resolves to arm herself with the relevant data and the appropriate KPIs to front the board and make it known she’s not going anywhere.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When a Filipino spreads their wings, splits from the flock, and crosses the boundless oceans to a new world, and finds their place, there is a sudden expectation.

'To support.

'To anchor.

'Kwento’s new work by Jordan Shea in collaboration with Happy Feraren follows the mononymous cab-driving Tita, as she ferries the last of her nieces and nephews to establish themselves in an ever-changing and complex Australia. When Tita finally begins to settle down, a new member of her family arrives and captures her attention, challenging her role as her family's greatest pillar.

'Part solo monologue, part audience interaction, and entirely authentic - Tita will keep you safe, no matter who you are.'

Source: Production blurb.

'1996.

'Life seems to be looking up for the Ejercito family despite an arrival of a new boom of conservatism, spearheaded by John Howard and Pauline Hanson. A new job, a new role in an ultra-fabulous amateur production of a Broadway classic and falling in love.

'Nineteen-year-old Lovia, her younger, theatrical brother Vergel, live in a house in the Sutherland Shire with their disenfranchised father, Jovy, who has long descended into alcoholism, frequently passes out under the Hills Hoist.

'Lovia’s unearthed desires slowly emerge as she carves out bigger dreams, away from mundanity of Australian suburbia, and the political instability of the Philippines. On the cusp of her finding love in the aisles of a Franklin’s supermarket, the lives of Lovia and Vergel are rocked to its core following the return of an estranged presence, which sends Jovy’s resentment toward their motherland into overdrive.

'Ate Lovia is a new Filipino-Australian drama, that interrogates what it means to stay loyal to your family, no matter how brutal it gets.'

Source: Red Line Productions.

'Bhing is a recent migrant and a trained school teacher but has been mending the battered bodies of Perth residents through pressure points and massage tradition to survive. Disenfranchised, anxious and forever sending his hard earned cash home, he yearns to move on to an industry that will excel him.

'Scott, a miner pulled to the Pilbara by a captive pay packet and caught up in the FIFO cycle, arrives for his appointment full of tension and unreasonable demands to be fixed.

'Through a series of massage appointments, the two bring their polarising values, expectations of male friendship and intimate secrets to the fore.

'This new work interrogates the dilemmas of people of colour working within the Australian service industry, the complexity of toxic masculinity, and mental health within the mining work culture through an inventive theatrical language.'

Source: 25A.

'It is 1974, and a political uprising that has compromised the safety of millions in the Philippines, brings Nancy, Antero and Cory to Balmain, Sydney. They are to train as nurses under the watchful eye of a jaded Matron, who echoes the sentiments of a harsh and unwelcoming Australia.

'45 years later, the now estranged trio must reconnect under grave circumstances. This is an untold story of first generation immigrants that have shaped the Australia we know today.'

Source: 25A.