AustLit

'Claire’s having trouble connecting… IRL that is. Enter SAAM: A Social Ally Android Machine – her ‘shortcut to friendship.’ Configured based on her digital behaviour and social media profiles, SAAM’s an expert at connection – which is great, because Claire’s birthday is next week and the RSVPs are sitting at a grand total of zero. Not great. With SAAM’s help, Claire’s circles are growing. The foodies, the handballers, even the SRC kids start to invite her to things. Nothing stands in her way, except of course her crippling social anxiety.'(Production summary)

'Big Dreams. Bigger Doubts. Big Yikes!

'Meet Lorrie. Sorry… Loxie. Loxie is cooler. She’s rebranding so as not to be mistaken with a load bearing truck. She wouldn’t want you to know that though – she doesn’t like being ‘perceived’.

'Loxie is leaving school, starting her first job, moving out of home, and waiting for Uni offers. She’s entering her adulting era. ‘Finding yourself’ is hard when you’re searching in a rundown share house, the situationship you THINK you have with your coworker, and under the constant nagging of your divorced parents.

'Big Yikes! is a coming-of-age story that explores boundaries, decision making and autonomy while asking the big questions like “what is my purpose?”, “what should I do with my life?” and “why does my housemate leave lentils in the fridge to rot?”'

Source: Production blurb.

'When Zan, a self-proclaimed “FEMINAZI” sets out to kill every man in the world, they undergo an identity crisis to understand the constructs of gender and ingrained homophobia within our queer world.

'Iconic and darkly funny af, FEMINAZI is a part digital part theatre performance about queer guilt, inherent misogyny and homophobia within self.'

Source: Production blurb.

'A mysterious new adventure comedy for the whole family!

'When people-pleaser Claudia Thorogood finds herself in hot water after an unfortunate accident leaves her principal with ten broken bones and a shiny new electric wheelchair, she is sent to Suspended Stone Camp, a place for ‘Difficult, Disobedient and Different Teen Delinquents’.

'It’s definitely not how she pictured her summer…Under the guidance of Vickie, her authoritarian team leader, Claudia and the other camp inmates are driven to a cabin in the bush with nothing but a backpack, a sleeping bag and a packet of contraband burger rings. The misfit group think it’s a blessing when Vickie’s late from break, until it gets dark and she’s still not back.

'Abandoned, restless and fearing they’ll die alone without ever having a hot meal again, they start hatching plans of survival. It doesn’t take long for things to go from bad to worse to just plain creepy.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Jane Austen, eat your heart out

'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a down-on-her-luck mother (who has just lost her home to a shady online suitor) must send her only son to Sydney to find and marry a wealthy man.

'Jane Austen’s drawing rooms and country estates are switched out for the dizzying dancefloors and leafy avenues of post-plebiscite Sydney in Lewis Treston’s outrageously funny Hubris & Humiliation. This laugh-out-loud comedy is a kaleidoscopic pastiche of Jane Austen’s writing and an outrageous satire of life and love in the Emerald City’s pumping gay scene. 

'Elliott, a naive wallflower from the Sunshine State, spends all his time pining for his best friend until he’s unexpectedly packed up and shipped off to his fabulously wealthy uncle’s Kirribilli mansion to pick up a few dating tips, and bag the man of his (mother’s) dreams. A series of increasingly ludicrous and high-stakes events take Elliott and his stowaway sister Paige from the rainbow mile, all the way to Berlin, and back again in a high-camp exploration of love, family and commitment.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It’s Sydney. It’s Christmas time. And it’s stinking hot. Even though she’s unable to be there, Mum is insisting the family gather in honour of Dad – he was the BBQ king!

'Their adult children, wine snob Peter and cynical Connie, reluctantly get the clan together for round two of festivities – they’ve survived the chaos of Christmas but Boxing Day is set to pack a punch. In raising a toast to their Dad’s memory, old grudges and family tensions sizzle to the surface. Surely they’ll be able to stop grilling each other for one day.'

Source: Ensemble Theatre.

'Equal parts hilarious and arresting, Tongue Tied is a brand new Australian play about the lengths a journalist will go to achieve justice. Ethics, justice and gender politics are all under-fire in this play for a post #MeToo Sydney.'

Source: KXT.

'Fast approaching 31, Fatima is feeling the pressure from her bakery owning family to get married and have children. Her boyfriend, Karim, wants their relationship to remain secret. His high-flying, lawyer parents definitely wouldn’t approve of the match. In an effort to prove to Karim and his family she is worthy of his love, Fatima comes up with a plan to win Queen Lebanon Australia. Moonia, the pageant organiser, accepts Fatima because this year she wants a ‘diverse group of girls’ and Fatima is unlike anything the competition has seen before.

'With the help of her 74 year-old best friend Gada and her coffee cup readings, Fatima goes through a transformation that not even she expected.'

Source: National Theatre of Parramatta.

'Unapologetic, piercing and deliciously funny-until-it’s-not, Lady Tabouli is James Elazzi‘s unflinching clash of cultures and a searing look at how expectations can eat away at us until we decide to change the rules.

'It’s the day of his nephew’s baptism and Danny is godfather. Living back home with his religious Lebanese mother, he’s thrown into the maelstrom of preparations and high emotions: God forbid this christening comes second to the Boustanis’! The family can’t afford to lose face, especially with Danny recently and mysteriously calling off his engagement. But secrets will out, and amidst the sugared almonds and balloon deliveries, Danny discovers the true colours of those to whom he’s closest. Where do you turn when the people you love refuse to accept the truth?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Cut-throat journalist Jez Connell is out for her next sting. It’s been a year since she brought down one of TV’s most lauded stars for behaving badly and now she’s got Michael King, the top-rated darling of public radio, in her sights. This time, it’s personal.

'With the loyalty of his longstanding producer wavering, and a hip up-and-coming podcaster eager to take the mic off Mike, has the plug been pulled on Michael King’s career?'

Source: Ensemble Theatre.

'On the morning of her 25th birthday, journalist Josephine K is arrested for a crime she can’t remember. The arrest sets off a labyrinthine quest to reveal the truth about herself and the society in which she lives. As her path to innocence weaves through the pillars of a civilised world, Josephine’s grip on what is real and what is hyper-real begins to blur.' (Production summary)

'Parents of Australia! Are you sick of your kids being glued to their phones? Do you wish they could leave their devices behind forever? Well, you just may need to sign them up for Camp Reboot…

'Reboot follows a group of young campers as they journey through Camp Reboot, a special new Summer Camp designed to detox kids from all forms of technology. However, things are not quite as they seem, as the campers discover a secret that could change their lives forever.

'Reboot is a comedic thriller that tests the limits of a life without technology. It is a satire on our attachment to our screens but also a probing look into who really pulls the strings.'  (Production summary)

'From Campfire to Stage Light is an epic journey toward self-determination and Indigenous pride, as told through the life experience of David Bindi Hudson, well-known and loved cultural leader and global ambassador for Indigenous Australia.

'David is the ultimate storyteller, singer-songwriter, dancer, visual artist and actor and the performance is brought to life through storytelling, songs, and extraordinary visual design.

'The stories take us from David’s traditional lands to the international mega stages as David traversed the world musically, educating people about his culture. He co-founded the award-winning dance troupe ‘Tjapukai’, whose achievements include being Australia’s longest-running theatrical production. David has emerged as a strong cultural leader with a significant arts practice.

'This play, directed by nationally recognised First Nations Director, Isaac Drandic, with music and lyrics by Nereace, Nigel Pegrum and David Bindi Hudson, will take the audience on a culturally rich journey of Far North Queensland and the world.'  (Production summary)

'Cliff’s life is in the toilet: he’s lost his wife, his job, and he’s back living in Bundaberg. Struggling to reconcile with his daughter (and his mother), Cliff navigates family dramas, local politics, and a potential murder case … all without a car.

'Elliott’s doing alright: she’s finishing Year 12, looking after her grandmother, and running the family newsagent … until her estranged father turns up out of the blue, the mayor turns up dead, and the papers don’t turn up at all.

'Of all the rum joints in all the world, it had to happen in Bundy.

'Combining a suspicious death, strained family relationships, generational change, and a reckoning of what being Australian actually means – Death in a Statesman is funny, smart, and wears the hell out of a fedora.'  (Publication summary)