10 Quick Qs – Sepia
1. What, where, when and how much?
Sepia – Written by Emily Steel, Commissioned by RiAus (website)
@ The Science Exchange (view map)
1-3, 7-10, 13-17 March @ 6:30 PM
Adult $20 | Conc., Fringe Benefits $15 – Buy Tickets
2. Describe your show Twitter style, 140 characters or less.
Neil. Dad. Runs Whyalla Caravan Park. Devastated. In wetsuit on couch for days. Cuttlefish at risk. Wife gone. Play progresses into his past.
3. A quote/moment that stands out from your show?
If I have to pick one, it would have to be a moment that occurs towards the end of the play (the beginning of the story). It’s when Neil tries to convince his wife Emma about his big ideas for their future. His scheming, optimism, determination, excitement and naivety is a beautiful thing that I get to watch everyday in rehearsals. It really allows you to see why Emma fell in love with him.
4. Is heckling allowed?
If you have negative thoughts on the show, leave it for the foyer and don’t ruin everyone else’s experience.
5. What is your role in the show?
I directed Sepia and co-designed the set and costumes with Stephen Moylan. I also helped to develop and workshop the text with Emily and the cast.
6. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Hopefully I’ll still be doing what I’m doing now, but I’ll have a little extra money in the bank.
7. If you could put on (or be in) any show/band in the world, which one would it be?
Again, that company would be wherever I can continue to do this kind of work – developing and directing new Australian plays by local playwrights.
8. Biggest accolade or compliment you’ve received about your show?
Definitely if people come back to see your show a second time.
9. Why would someone not come to see your show?
If they want straight comedy. Sepia is a little bit sad but it also has some really lovely lighter moments. Its a problem play that explores the controversy in Whyalla at the moment between the cuttlefish enthusiasts and desalination plant supporters within the microcosm of a family drama. We’ve tried our best to weigh arguments equally on both sides, so that the audience can form their own opinions on the conflict. So it will (hopefully) make you think and care about the characters and their situation. Some people don’t want this kind of experience during Fringe – they want a comedy show so they switch off and have a good time. And that’s okay – its just a different experience.
10. Besides your show, what’s your pick for the Fringe?
Version 1.0’s work is brilliantly intense. Outside of my regular freelance directing work, such as Sepia, I’m also a member of Milk Theatre Collective. We are a collaborative group that devise performance together. Version 1.0 is as collaborative as it gets, and the quality of the research, dramaturgy and execution behind their devised work is something to strive for. I really have a lot to learn from them. Their two shows ‘Disappearances Project’ and ‘Seven Kilometres North-East’ are playing at AC Arts.
