AustLit

'High school outcast and whimsical mega-dork Taylah longs to be the princess in her own fairy tale. Which isn’t easy in Dunburn – a drought-stricken Aussie town struggling for survival, where cool girls and footy hunks lead the pack. But when her hyper-woke, inner-city cousin Maeve comes to stay, the pair join forces on a quest to make their mark on the best night of the year: the town’s annual Debutante Ball. In their search for social redemption and the spotlight, chaos ensues – along with a whole lot of fake tan, lace, and diamante tiaras for ya up-do.

'Conceived and co-directed by the hilarious Hannah Reilly (Winner of the 2019 Rebel Wilson Comedy Commission) with original music by multi-ARIA Award-winning Megan Washington, The Deb is a heart-warming and uproarious coming-of-age story about friendship, courage, and the beauty of coming out as yourself.

'Don’t miss the debut of what will no doubt join Muriel’s Wedding and FANGIRLS in the ranks of beloved Australian stage musicals.'

Source: ATYP.

'Twin brother and sister Josh and Joan Burns formed CrossBread, the hugely successful Christian Rap duo from Boronia in Melbourne's outer suburbs back in 2015. The band briefly lit up GodTube in Australia and became Christian hip-hop superstars, with hits such as "It's Just Jesus", "A Christian on a Mission (ain't a Christian to be dissin')" and their smash hit Christmas single, "Merry Crossmass". But even though they burned brighter than the star of Bethlehem, the band ended up being destroyed quicker than Sodom and Gomorrah.

'Over six episodes, their former social media manager, Ken Lim, will dig into the archives to trace their origins working in a donut shop, why it all fell apart so quickly, and their biggest regrets - like why a brother and sister would name their band "CrossBread".

'The Bible might be the greatest story ever told. But this could easily be the second or third best.' (Production summary)

'A poetic exploration of Australian identities. Two Aboriginal youths speak with calm intensity about their ancestors, family solidarity, the traumas experienced in their everyday lives – and about the inner flame shared by all of their people.'

Source: Berlinale program.

'I have a short preamble, and then I will get to the letter. I have a saying that I like to use a lot. It goes like this: the things that make someone wonderful are the exact same qualities that make them shitty. I usually use it when my friends are recently out of relationships, and are outlining the various reasons why they left their partner. At the beginning of the relationship, my friend might say 'Oh my god, she's so stable and organised and meticulous and together and I love that about her, she really grounds me, you know? She's like a rock, something I can tie myself to and feel like I'm not spinning around chaotically.' And at the end of the relationship, they usually say something like 'Oh my god, she's so stable and organised and meticulous and together, and I hate that, you know? She's like a rock, weighing me down.' It's the qualities in people that make them fantastic at dinner parties — lively and chatty and crazy and boisterous — that cause them to be annoying on long drives.'  (Introduction)