We are fresh off the bat from Anywhere Festival and we ain't stopping soon! Following our run in Brisbane, we here at Staged are super excited to be performing at the Black Box Theatre in the Old Ambulance Station at Nambour!
Black Box Theatre is known for its intimate and immersive atmosphere, we consider it the perfect setting for Art. For those who missed out on our Anywhere Festival performances, this is a great opportunity to witness our debut production.
Tickets for our upcoming show are selling fast, so be sure to secure a seat here for $30.00 a pop!
In the meanwhile, we wanted to share with you a special note from Nick Smith, the brains behind our debut production! A shortened version of this lovely director's note can be found on the back of Art Programmes come June, but for now, please enjoy...
"It’s difficult to know where to begin with Art. Originally a riff on male friendship, though written by a woman, it was, at the time, considered to be a satire about the challenges three men encounter on the road to friendship – in effect, how men, traditionally bound up and unemotional, can express their true selves to each other.
It's 1990’s success was unbelievable – translated by Sir Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons, The Father) it has won Tony and Olivier Awards for best comedy/play, ran for 600 performances on Broadway and 8 years in the West End, and introduced Yasmina Reza as a powerful feminine voice, challenging the status quo in 1990s theatre.
But why is Art relevant now? Why revive a play of three white men and their upper middle-class quarrel over a work of art? Well. When one looks at the world now, we see sister against sister, and brother against brother – we see Black Lives Matter, trans rights, white supremacism, Brexit, Putin, the nefarious effects of Covid, and we scream, “support this, can I truly be your brother, sister…. friend?”.
Art is not about art – it’s about a choice about which camp we are in, how we divide and how we fail to understand, empathise and communicate with those on the other side. And yet, in Art, there is a corridor to understanding and forgiveness. At least in the theatre, we can see it is possible, that these extraordinarily self-indulgent individuals, chained to their personal views of the world can find their way back to the light.
One more word. This adaptation is no longer about three men – we have changed the character of Marc into Natalia, something which is as far as I am aware, the first time this has been done – I make no apologies about it. The addition of Natalia, and her implied previous relationship with Serge, has, I believe, added a layer to the play that allows us to glimpse sexism and feminism within this circle of friends.
I am proud of Art, I am proud of this production and I am proud to present Staged Theatre’s debut performance. Enjoy."
Peek some shots at our Anywhere Festival run below!
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