Cirrus@Austlit

'Andy Griffiths’ universally celebrated book series will finally land on stage in a hysterical production. Vividly and hilariously bringing the crazy, annoying, silly stories to life with everything from invisibility pills and mudmen, vomiting dogs and death-defying balloon rides! It won’t be for the faint-farted… we meant faint-hearted!

'This unmissable show is a love letter to the powers of imagination.'

Source: Merrigong Theatre Company.

'An international film company is undertaking a global scouting mission to cast a new musical film version of John Steinbeck’s classic tale, Of Mice and Men, and the audition notice has found its way to The Strangeways Ensemble in Wollongong. This could be their big break, a chance to hit the big time, and for their dreams to come true!

'Set in the rehearsal room, the Ensemble undertake their audition prep with individual research, self-tapes and throwbacks to the Golden Age of Hollywood. But Steinbeck’s themes of friendship, dreams and our place in the universe are put to the test when it becomes clear that this opportunity is not as hopeful as it first appears.

'Inspired by the history of representation of people with disability in film, Something that Happened is a funny and imaginative exploration of the quest for fame and inclusion.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'An unorthodox relationship develops between Mary, a career-driven business executive in her mid-50s, and Tim, a handsome 25-year-old labourer with a mild intellectual disability. Tim has grown up in a small but loving, working-class family who have tried to shelter him from the cruelness of the world. What begins as a chance meeting between them, soon develops into a life-changing relationship with shattering consequences.

'Tim is a new Australian play filled with love, loss and acceptance, which explores the importance of embracing differences, opening oneself to the fullness of life and the opportunities it has to offer.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Meet Elsie, a gender-fluid twenty-something who can’t leave her tiny apartment.

'In a collision of joyous and eccentric physical characters with sumptuous imagery and circus, Alicia Battestini explores the chaotic world of a gender-fluid Elsie. A shameless celebration of play, fantasy and intense physicality as a balm for grief.'

Source: Merrigong Theatre Company.

'This is the story of one woman who changed the face of the American legal system.

'Spanning her life from teenage years to her death in 2020, RBG: Of Many, One brings Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s fascinating life vividly to the stage. The second woman to be appointed to the US Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was both a trailblazer in the American legal system and a fierce advocate for gender equality and reproductive rights. RBG: Of Many, One chronicles her wins and dissents; the steps forward, the steps back. It reveals a woman of intellect, courage, determination and feeling; the personal behind the political.

'Award-winning Australian playwright and lawyer, Suzie Miller, continues her interrogation of complex human stories and injustice with this vibrant theatrical portrait of one of the iconic leaders of our time.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'As Luck Would Have It begins as a piece of stand-up comedy observing the clash between land logic and cruise ship logic, but slides into an absurdist story of life and death, as one man navigates a perilous psychological journey accompanied only by the moon, an endless ocean, and his own demons.

'On a mild day in March, a broken showman steps aboard a luxury cruise ship. For work. Just a little gig to pay the bills, maybe decompress a little, dust off his Hawaiian shirts, cuddle a few martinis, that kind of thing. The next day, a worldwide pandemic is declared. The ship is exiled into the middle of the Pacific Ocean with nothing but empty ballrooms for him to crack his jokes in. Trapped on the empty liner, he longs to escape, but the ocean has other plans…

'Commissioned by Merrigong, As Luck Would Have It is inspired by playwright and actor Drew Fairley’s experiences being marooned on a cruise ship during the early months of the pandemic. It’s the odyssey of a man drumming up mirth while he grips onto the edge of a funnel that threatens to plunge him into the abyss. With songs!'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Performed against the backdrop of industrial Port Kembla, The Sirens' Return is a moving and evocative new music theatre work that reflects the spirit of place from the perspective of the women who embody it.

Drawing on oral histories collected from women living across different eras of the steel town, as well as First Nations and western mermaid mythology, The Sirens' Return honours the diversity of women's experiences through the emotional power of song.'

Source: Merrigong Theatre Company.

'Trailblazing artists Joel Ma (TZU's Joelistics) and ARIA-nominated producer James Mangohig are icons of Australian hip-hop, but their family histories are as complex and layered as their lyrics. In their acclaimed theatre show In Between Two, the pair lovingly paint a canvas of growing up half-Asian in contemporary Australia.'

Source: Merrigong Theatre Company.

'The feel-good stage adaptation of Tim Baker's gorgeous children's book follows the tale of a young surfer on a magical underwater journey. Captured by a mermaid, the boy is led to the depths of the ocean to meet her marine friends — the whales.'

Source: Merrigong Theatre Company.

The Wider Earth recounts 'in epic form a scientific voyage of discovery that would, in the end, rock the foundations of religion and revolutionise scientific thought.' Over two hours, and with the incorporation of puppetry, writer/director David Morton focuses 'unwaveringly on Darwin’s journey from dilettantish family disgrace to tormented scientific pioneer thrown headlong into conflict with God' (Buzzacott).

In his review of the 2016 premiere production Martin Buzacott writes of the production's conception:

The kicker comes with the puppetry, beautifully rendered moving incarnations of the wildlife that inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution. These gorgeous and charming creations (in part ­inspired by Handspring Puppet Company in Cape Town) not only captivate the audience’s imagination but, through theatrical ­estrangement, constantly rein­force the diversity, beauty and wonder of the natural world.

Entranced by the big picture horizons of galaxies and maps projected on to the cavernous Bille Brown Studio walls, the audience journeys with Darwin on the Beagle’s voyage in which 19th-century Bible-bashing runs headlong into evidence contradicting inherited belief (Australian 18 July 2016).

'There are three things that have divided this nation right down the centre. Conscription, Whitlam and Lindy Chamberlain.

'Filled with humour and heartbreak, this stunning new work by award-winning playwright Alana Valentine explores the public’s relationship with one of 20th Century Australia’s most iconic figures.

'The court case captivated a nation. A mother accused of murdering her child, her claim – that the baby was taken by a dingo – denied and discredited by zealous police and a flawed legal system. The media circus, the rumours, the nation’s prejudices laid bare. And in the eye of the storm – Lindy Chamberlain.

'Over three decades, from baby Azaria’s death to the final coroner’s report, the public’s fascination with Lindy has seldom waned. The National Library in Canberra holds a collection of more than 20,000 letters to Lindy. From sympathy to abuse, from marriage proposals to death threats and photos of dogs’ birthday parties (yes, really!), the correspondence traverses the gamut of human response to Lindy’s story.

'Letters to Lindy draws on this extraordinary correspondence and interviews with Lindy herself, to create an enthralling, revealing, and long overdue dialogue between Lindy and the nation. It paints a singular portrait of the heartbreak, wisdom and resilience of a grieving mother.' (Production summary)