Cirrus@Austlit

'Melbourne’s hit indie theatre company Pony Cam and acclaimed theatre-maker David Williams recreate the theatrical experiences that changed their lives.  

'In an exhilarating act of reappropriation, Grand Theft Theatre brings these significant moments back to the stage – moments from shows that toured the world and shows that nobody saw, moments from shows that were thought-provoking, shows that had a profound emotional impact and even some shows from the 2024 Festival. What unfolds with each remembered experience is an autobiographical work that is funny, daring and irreverent.  

'Grand Theft Theatre is a continually-evolving, lo-fi ode to the theatrical legacies that we collectively carry and the personal memories that we desperately need to share.'

Source: Adelaide Festival.

'Chance, family, history, genetics, biology and destiny are explored through three captivating stories by David Williams.

'A retired medical laboratory scientist collects electron microscope slides of blood cells, bacteria and viruses, and seeks the perfect ratio for developing enlargements of electron microscope photos.

'A man writes a genetic watch list; things to monitor as he enters middle age - hemochromatosis, glaucoma, gout, heart disease and a rejection of the antimalarial drug Primaquine.

'A young boy is diagnosed with a rare genetic abnormality of unknown origin and of “uncertain clinical significance” but huge personal significance.

'All small things, but not to be underestimated.'

Source: Arts Centre Melbourne.

'Grace Under Pressure is a verbatim theatre project about the workplace and training cultures that are making young health professionals sick – and which put patient lives at risk.

'Acclaimed verbatim theatre makers David Williams and Paul Dwyer, in collaboration with the Sydney Arts and Health Collective, have developed Grace Under Pressure from interviews with doctors and nurses at various stages of their careers. Grace Under Pressure will open a critical space for conversation about these often taboo issues, and will be an important public intervention into medical culture, as well as a compelling, confronting, hopeful and deeply moving work of theatre.

'Grace Under Pressure has been co-commissioned by Seymour Centre and The Big Anxiety, and developed with the support of the Department of Performance Studies, University of Sydney. The Big Anxiety has been assisted by the Australian government through the Department of Communication and the Arts’ Catalyst—Australian Arts and Culture Fund.'  (Publication summary)

'The place of Christian faith in Australian politics is often linked to conservatism and intolerance.

'Many members of the current Federal Government profess deep Christian beliefs and groups such as the Australian Christian Lobby loudly intervene in public policy debates. Yet, new faith-based social movements such as Love Makes A Way, actively campaign against government policies. The spectacle of religious leaders undertaking non-violent acts of civil disobedience, including prayer vigils in the offices of Christian politicians, has captured the imaginations of many.

'Generated from hours of interviews with Christian Australians, Quiet Faith offers a beautiful, immersive and heartfelt portrait of the very different ways that faith can underpin civic life.'

Source: Merrigong Theatre Company.

'Palm Island. An Aboriginal man is arrested, allegedly for insulting a police officer. Within 90 minutes, he lies dead on the watchhouse floor, his liver cleaved in two. The community protests, the police station is torched. A Senior Sergeant stands trial for manslaughter but is acquitted. Questions are raised about manipulation of evidence and a court suppression order. A protestor, jailed for inciting a riot, is out on parole on condition that he speaks to no-one.

"Beautiful One Day" is a theatrical documentary made by a group of Australians (black and white) seeking to interpret these events against the full sweep of the island's history. It seeks to grasp the ordinariness of brutality, charting the course of repression, resistance and racism but also the astonishing resilience of the people who call Palm Island home.' Source: www.belvoir.com.au/ (Sighted 12/10/2011).