THIS.
WED 26 MAY—SUN 6 JUNE | THE SUBSTATION
A portrait of the present with its skin peeled off. Three levels of choose-your-own-adventure theatre.
And mud wrestling.
THIS. SHORTHAND FOR “HOW GOOD IS THIS” “FUCK THIS” / A POPULAR NON-COMMITTAL RE-POSTING TAG / ANAGRAM OF SHIT.
Devolving, shaming and space invading. Fear, conspiracy, collapse, terror, frustration, solidarity and hope. Mud wrestling. THIS. is a brutally funny, raw and unflinching response to the theme of infuriation.
Internationally acclaimed theatre-maker David Woods (Ridiculusmus, Back to Back Theatre, Sydney Dance Company, Malthouse) brings together an alliance of 30 collaborators to debunk pomp and power: Victorian, Cantonese, Syrian, Bundjalung, American, Yemeni, Greek, Gamilaraay, British, Chinese, Italian, Indian, Korean, Ethiopian, Somalian, Congolese and Aotearoa—Pākehā (settler) and Māori—makers transform three floors of The Substation into a choose-your-own-adventure performance installation.
Play a part in moulding progressive hope from the decay of today. Where will you start?
Warning THIS. contains frequent strong language, adult themes and depictions of family violence
Co-creators: Maurial Spearim, Eva Sifis, Manisha Anjali, Trevor Dunn, Nick Parr, Jess Kapuscinski-Evans, Ben Grant, Sean Kelly, Tom Doig, Persis Jade Maravala, Theo McMahon, Wani le frère, Minsun Park, Yuyu Wang, Jonathan Homsey, Sean Miles, Jonathan Haynes, Priya Namana, Patrizia Paolini, Aliki Chapple, Brian Lipson, Fiona Ross, Jeremy Dixon, Seble Girma, Saba Senbeta, Lui Zhang, Warsame Ali, Karl Heinrich, Anton Rivette, Kerith Manderson-Galvin and David Woods
Cast: Brian Lipson, Ben Grant, Nicci Wilks, Kerith Manderson, Amarachi Okorum, Bikram Singh, Vivian Nguyen, Vince Crowley, Michael Logo, Michelle Myers, Angus Cerini, Jonathan Homsey, Belinda Aitken, Lui Zhang, Fiona Ross, Seble Girma, Saba Senbeta, Warsame Ali, Jeremy Dixon, Karl Heinrich, Luke Byrnes and Fran Evans
Additional Film Cast: Sean Miles, David Woods, Daniel Quattrone, Briana Roberts, Harvey Garnaut, Louis Woods, Stanley Woods, Kate Kantor, Kate Fryer, Ellie Kent, Martijin Sedgfield, Trevor Santos and Ramas McCrae.
Production Manager: Dan Sheehan
Set Design: Eloise Kent
Lighting Design: Richard Vabre
Sound Design and Composition: James Paul and Theo McMahon
Dramaturg: Kamarra Bell-Wykes
Fish Design and Construction: Trina Gaskell
Stage Manager: Bec Cooen
Writing Facilitation and Editing: Anton Rivette and David Woods
Producers: Dan Sheehan and David Woods
Line Director: Sarah Kriegler
Production Support: Patricia Sexton
Stunt Design and Choreography: Kate Fryer, Dislocate
Rigger: Christian Schooneveldt-Reid and Ryan Taplin
Film: Takeshi Kondo
Movement Consultant: Thomas Bradley
Original concept / Lead Artist / Director: David Woods
Development Facilitiation: Priya Namana, Anton Rivette and David Woods
Development Producer: Erin Milne, Bureau of Works
Concept Development: Samara Hersch, Brain Lipson, Priya Namana, Anton Rivette and David Woods
Presented with The Substation.
This project was commissioned through RISING’s A Call to Artist initiative, a program supported by Creative Victoria, City of Melbourne and Besen Family Foundation.
