Win Tickets to See The Boat People by The Hayloft Project

Leave your preconceived notions onshore.
Jasmine Crittenden
Published on May 15, 2014

As its name suggests, this brand new satire presented by the Rock Surfers in conjunction with The Hayloft Project confronts one of Australia's most pressing issues head-on: The Boat People. You're asked to leave your preconceived notions onshore and plunge into the high seas for one night.

With the assistance of three Sydney-based comic minds (Susie Youssef, William Erimya and Luke Joseph Ryan), writer-director Benedict Hardie explores Australia's relationship with its borders and the unpredictable lives of those seeking entry without "telling you what to think". The score and sound design comes courtesy of Benny Davis, the four-chords maestro from Axis of Awesome.

"This is the funniest cast I could hope for," Hardie says, "and I still can't believe we've taken this particular subject matter and turned it into something so amusing and so unexpected. From the moment the play starts I think it pulls the rug out from under your feet, and it keeps doing it until the very end ... I can't wait to see how audiences respond."

Leading independent theatre producers The Hayloft Project have recently made the move up from Melbourne to Sydney, and this is their first project developed in Sydney. They've had a brief but illustrious history, which under previous artistic directors Simon Stone and then Anne Louise Sarks saw them produce Thyestes and By Their Own Hands. This distinctly comedic turn from the company is one to catch.

The Boat People is on at the Bondi Pavilion from May 29 to June 1. Tickets are $35/$25 (concession) from here, but thanks to the Rock Surfers, we have three double passes to the first preview on May 29 to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email [email protected] with your name and address.

Published on May 15, 2014 by Jasmine Crittenden
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