Windmill Theatre’s ‘Fugitive’
Award-winning Australian children’s theatre company Windmill Theatre will present three major works as part of the Adelaide Festival which explode defining adolescent moments.
Girl Asleep, Fugitive and School Dance form a unique trilogy of rites-of-passage stories by acclaimed creative team comprising of director Rosemary Myers, writer Matthew Whittet, designer Jonathon Oxlade, lighting designer Richard Vabre and sound designer Luke Smiles.
Featuring recapitulated cultural icons from the 70s, 80s and 90s, each work explores defining adolescent moments offering a unique theatrical voice.
“The trilogy is the result of an exhilarating creative journey for a team of artists who believe story is paramount to the way we understand the world. These artists seek to bring stories to life by vibrant and inventive means that speak to contemporary audiences,” says Rosemary Myers, Artistic Director of Windmill Theatre.
From the adrenalin of the alpha male and the pain of the loser, to the dark inner world of the adolescent girl, these three very distinct theatrical works are outrageous, hilarious, painful, violent and ultimately celebratory. All placed in the pivotal teenage years, the three works in the trilogy are linked through the common rites-of-passage theme.
“Windmill Theatre are one of our local and national treasures and I feel it’s important for Adelaide Festival to present the very best South Australian work. When I heard that Girl Asleep was part of a coming-of-age trilogy I thought the best way to present the final tale was to also present Fugitive and School Dance. Presenting three productions from any company at the Festival is a significant commitment to make and that speaks to the quality of the company,” says David Sefton, Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival.
About the plays:
Girl Asleep (28 February – 15 March) tells the story of Greta Driscoll, a chronically shy teenager who is privately falling apart. Frozen in the spotlight of her fifteenth birthday, things go from bad to worse when a stranger arrives propelling her into a parallel place; a latent world that’s weirdly erotic, ultra-violent and thoroughly ludicrous. Part fairytale and part lipstick-smeared vigilante escapade, this is a girl’s own adventure where heroism and gender implode in a unique exposé of the sisterhood.
Fugitive (1-9 March) is a fantasy, manga, hip-hop, slacker Australia set some time in the near future. The leaders have disappeared and it’s every man for himself. In the fog of this urban chaos, a young man returns: A guy with strange power and a backpack of destruction. His name is Robin. In a bold retelling of the classic folklore Robin Hood, Fugitive is a hysterical, anarchic knife-edge ride that is contemporary Australian theatre at its best.
School Dance (12-16 March) is the story of three awkward teens and their hormone-fuelled quest for social acceptability. Set in the special kind of hell that is the school dance, this multi-award winning comedy is a nostalgic and boisterous theatrical gem. Following sell-out seasons across Australia, School Dance is back by popular demand. This is a highly personal work that, just like its central protagonists, is funny, sad, scary, weird, really stupid, endearing and repulsive.
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