Overview
Theatre and storytelling have long been one and the same, but Malthouse Theatre are bridging that gap completely with their 2015 program. Presenting works in a new chapter format, the bustling year ahead looks a little like a storybook. First we have an exploration of the self (Body // Language), then a look at how it relates to their digital world (Post // Love), and finally we examine society at large (Ritual // Extinction). It's a tidy way to organise such enormous ideas, but the works in each chapter are far from a simple variation on a theme.
Before you even step inside a theatre, the party will be kicking off with Blak Cabaret — a prologue to the chapter format featuring Indigenous comedians, musicians, dancers and poets. After premiering at Melbourne Indigenous Arts Festival last year, this year's run of the show will play out in the forecourt of Malthouse's home on Southbank.
Featuring three works from the 2015 Dance Massive program, the first official chapter of the season will have a big emphasis on the body. In Nothing to Lose, Force Majeure, choreographer Kate Champion and fat activist Kelli Jean Drinkwater join forces to challenge body expectations and reclaim the stage for large bodies. Do You Speak Chinese? then sees Australian-born Victoria Chiu explore the expectations of her Asian heritage through dance, and Depth of Field examines life in the city with Chunky Move's Anouk van Dijk in the Malthouse forecourt.
The one work without a focus on dance is Wot? No Fish!!. A story of love, history and family, this one-man play written by and starring Danny Braverman was an absolute hit at last year's Edinburgh Fringe.
Post // Love starts up with an ambitious and critically-acclaimed story from Caryl Churchill. Directed by Kip Williams, Love and Information will be a postmodern series of vignettes that sees the talented cast playing over 100 roles. Definitely pencil this one in your diaries, it comes sporting a five-star review from The New York Times.
Ash Flanders then takes the stage for an interrogation of YouTube stardom and digital identity in Meme Girls, while Lally Katz rounds out the chapter with her new comedic work Timeshare. Starring Marg Downey from Kath and Kim, this is definitely going to be one to lift the spirits.
As winter encroaches, things get a little darker in Ritual // Extinction. Jane Montgomery Griffiths reimagines the tragedy of Sophocles with Antigone, while Declan Greene and Matthew Lutton take a look at life from behind bars in I Am a Miracle. Famous for her comedic social critque, Nicola Gunn takes on the world of business in A Social Service; then the chapter is rounded out with They Saw a Thylacine — a work that's toured the fringe circuit with its hunt for the Tasmanian tiger.
As enormous and exciting as the program is, it's also going to be supplemented by related events throughout the year. To celebrate the body and language you can attend a fitness session with an eight-year-old trainer. To explore relationships in the digital age, Aphids will be organising a mysterious interactive game. And, to get on board with the best ritual of them all, the NGV will be hosting a part-performance, part-banquet version of the last supper.
If that's not enough for you, The Wheeler Centre will also be hosting a series of discussions on each chapter. There's certainly a lot to talk about.
For full program details, see the Malthouse website.