AustLit

'In this backwater country hamlet on the fringes of the commuter belt, the local choir was always the quiet heartbeat of the town. It brought people together. But then a devastating event shattered everything and split the town in two. Now, Choir leader, Barbara, and her friends must start a new choir – The Heartbreak Choir – and they have a lot to prove. Not just to the town, but to themselves. With no basses, no gigs, no Annual Arts and Culture Festival and a tentative rehearsal space in the old CFA Hall on the edge of town, this choir, more than ever, need to find a reason to sing.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Suffering from a serious illness, Helen is forced to hire a carer while her devoted partner takes a short overseas trip. Fiercely independent, she concedes to the deal by hiring the least likely candidate; a young, unqualified, homeless tradie called Lennie, with a dangerous past. As their different worlds collide, an extraordinary bond is formed across the cultural taboos of age and class and a tragic pact takes shape.'

Source: Melbourne Theatre Company 2018 season.

'His achingly lyrical first solo album, What Rhymes with Cars and Girls, cemented You Am I frontman Tim Rogers’ already formidable reputation as one of Australia’s premier songwriters. Playwright Aidan Fennessy has threaded these beautiful songs across the class divide to create a tale of love in contemporary Australia.

'This is the ballad of Tash and Johnno, brought together by a conjunction of the stars and a pizza delivery gone weird. Tash is a smart-mouthed singer in a band and Johnno’s a three-time loser from the wrong side of the tracks. But, what do you know? It’s love. Almighty love. With an authentic catch and pain in it, like a song in the throat of one who knows how it goes. Knows how love can lift you high and dash you down. Knows that it’s never the coming together, it’s the holding on.

'What Rhymes with Cars and Girls is a raw, complex, urban romance, a balm for the hardest of hearts and solace for anyone who’s ever been in love.' (Production summary)

'Dr Alice Lowe scrambles to piece together the mystery because in fifteen minutes time hell forget everything all over again. The House on The Lake is a labyrinthine mystery that hides at its dark heart a hideous crime. From award-winning playwright Aidan Fennessy comes a taut psychological thriller where truth and memory are scattered like broken glass.' (Production summary)

'Steve, Stu and Gav paint houses for a living.  Steve is already immersed in disappointment but won’t admit it. Stu’s got a mean streak and his love of modern art seems incongruous. Gavin is not the sharpest knife in the drawer but has a great memory for trivia.  At 28 his parents insisted that he move out of home so he moved around the corner … Three men thrashing out their differences between coats of paint and cups of tea.'

Source: Tasmanian Theatre Company.

'Written by a new quintet of outstanding Melbourne writers - Andrea James, Hoa Pham, Danny Katz, Kit Lazaroo and Aidan Fennessy - these specially commissioned short works form a single theatrical journey through the decades, over the fences, under the awnings and into the collective psyche of our city.'

The five works on places in Melbourne are 'Birrarung' by Andrea James; 'Maribyrnong' by Hoa Pham; 'Caulfield' by Danny Katz; 'Presto' by Kit Lazaroo; 'Mentone' by Aidan Fennessy.

Source: White Whale Theatre website, www.whitewhaletheatre.com (Sighted: 19/05/2009)

'One night. One city. Six stories. 'Big Noise' drills down into the everyday dislocation of life at the crossroads in a big city.'

Source: Fortyfivedownstairs Theatre website www.fortyfivedownstairs (sighted: 26/08/2009)