AustLit

'What hope does Gert have - when her mum's gay?

'It’s time for the ultimate test – can they all survive the dreaded family road-trip? Tex, Sal’s new girlfriend, is anything but subtle – she rolls into town in her decked out semi-trailer and expects to take the girls on a wild ride –but what she gets is much more than she’s bargained for. Simmering with teen angst and with the added frustration of Ila, Gert's little sister, absolutely loving the new GF, she snaps! Attacking Tex with most unfortunate choice of weapon and blacking out on the motel room floor, Gert comes to in the night and reconsiders the idea that Tex might just be the one thing this family needs to hold them together. They reconnect in the morning and rip up the dance floor with their disco move.'

Source: Adelaide Film Festival.

'The choice to take a life, under any circumstance and whether your own or someone else’s, is not one made lightly. Mutt explores the aftermath enforced on those left behind by decisions so final and, with or without closure, how they choose to find meaning in there own lives after the fact. When the one thing that gave you life is gone – can you find something to give yourself purpose and what would you do to hold onto it? Through Zak we see someone who has very little and lost so much – she’s desperately trying to find meaning by giving new life to her foster puppies but taking the lives of desperate people in need who are trying to die gracefully. She, like our audience, are torn – is what she’s doing right and even so – what state will she be in when left carrying the burden?'

Source: Adelaide Film Festival.

'Through the tangle of upturned shopping trolleys and makeshift cardboard housing we see jars. Empty jars with light emitting from the inside.

'The cover of a manhole starts to shift, slides across the brown sludge floor and a beautiful glowing jar is pushed to the surface. A small hand, then an arm – a girl pulls herself to the surface. She picks up the jar, holds it to her chest and looks at us. Right at us.

'And so began the proposal that won the 2014 ATYP Foundation Commission Award. This captivating new play by Sara West transplants us to a dangerous world where the most important commodity is light. But for The Trolleys, the kids on the outskirts of town, the light in their jars is fading and they don’t know why. There is only a little time left. No one wants to live in the dark.

'The ATYP Foundation was established to commission plays for actors aged between 10 and 13. The scripts are published by Playlab so they can be purchased by schools and youth theatres around the country. This production is a must for young artists and audiences. Come and see the play young people around the country will be performing for years to come.' (Production summary)