AustLit

'A man kneels by his dive gear. It’s late afternoon on the Limestone Coast. He has a story to tell. It starts in the water.

'A powerful, visceral and form-busting new work by award-winning South Australian born playwright Caleb Lewis, Cathedral is a thriller, a family drama and an epic journey of self-discovery.

'From Mount Gambier to Thailand to the North Sea, from soaring first love to shattering loss to ultimate hope, this powerful story ponders a diver’s life shaped by the ocean, and its power to both upend and heal.'

Source: State Theatre Company of South Australia.

'Inspired by the majestic Murray River, The River at the End of the Road is the culmination of a two- year collaboration between HotHouse and Australia’s finest indoor/outdoor theatre company, Sport for Jove. Written by Caleb Lewis and directed by Damien Ryan, The River is an epic ‘Huck Finn-style’ adventure ... with a twist.

'Flo and her dad live alone on the edge of the river. With Mum gone and Dad busy operating the ferry, Flo dreams of adventure, little dreaming how close it lies. Every twenty years when the river is at its lowest, a huge festival is held in the dry riverbed for a night and a day. Absent pets return home and families reunite, as the living and the lost come together for one last time.

'But when Flo fails to find her mother and the river starts to rise, she and a newfound friend strike out for the opposite shore, looking for answers - as her desperate father searches for a way to bring her safely home.'

Source: Sport for Jove 2018 season program.

'“He’d only have to whistle and they’d start swirling around him. Like the centre of a universe. And all the bees hanging like stars. This bright, glittering sphere…”

'As the world’s honeybees disappear, a family-owned apiary struggles to keep up with overseas demand. Driven by matriarch Joan’s iron will, the business continues to grow. And then Melissa arrives out of the blue. The Honey Bees is a tale of Family and Empire; Action and Consequences; and what happens when the bee finally stings.' (Production summary)

'They Saw a Thylacine: Out of the darkness, Sarah Hamilton and Justine Campbell conjure the ghost of one of Australia's lost beauties, the thylacine. With all the suspense of a campfire story, these feisty, funny women weave a lyrical tale of adversity and extinction. For this thylacine tracker and this zoo keeper's daughter, it's a quest not just to protect a threatened creature, but themselves. Rebellious and gutsy, these women face life and fight to survive.

'Extinction delves deep into the heart of our own morals, choices and tightly-held convictions. Extinction wraps an important conservation message around a unique and personal human story. A wild, rainy night, a twist of fate and an injured tiger quoll bring together a passionate environmentalist and an unlikely Good Samaritan. Both are hell-bent on saving the species, but intentions are murky. What will be compromised in the quest to save the quoll? Nothing is black and white in this intriguing story about love, sex, money and power.

'The Honey Bees: As the world's honeybees disappear, a family-owned apiary struggles to keep up with overseas demand. Driven by matriarch Joan's iron will, the business continues to grow. And then Melissa arrives out of the blue. The Honey Bees is a tale of Family and Empire; Action and Consequences; and what happens when the bee finally stings. ' (Publication summary)

'Pippa and her little brother Mo live in a caravan at the edge of the woods. Since Dad hurt his back cutting wood, the family has struggled to make ends meet. Even though they may be poor, the children are gifted with a rich imagination.

'After Pippa gets the worst birthday present ever and overhears her worried parents talking, she decides the way to help is to leave. Pippa packs her belongings and takes off into the woods, with little brother Mo hot on her heels.

'Hopelessly lost in a dark, dark wood, the pair stumble onto a lonely beach and discover a world with no rules and endless ice cream! But all is not what it seems. Pippa and Mo will have to call on all of their imaginative powers to escape!'

Source: Barking Gecko.

'Welcome to Online.

'A modern colosseum where stars are made and lives ruined in the blink of an eye. A ravenous beast, ever-hungry for the latest scandal or sensation. Plus there’s cat videos too!

'Here you can be anyone. Anonymous or Infamous. Famous or a fan. Everyone gets their fifteen seconds of fame. But how do you survive when suddenly you’ve got six million hits and the entire world starts watching?

'When footage taken on a school camp is uploaded online, soon after the feeding frenzy begins. As the situation spins out of control, those involved must navigate their way out of a maze of their own making, meeting the lost souls of others who have unwittingly achieved fame or infamy online.

'Working alongside playwright, Caleb Lewis, students from John Curtin College of the Arts reflect on their own online experience while trawling the net for its heroes and villains in a bid to hear their side of the story and to pose the question: What if it happened to you?'

Source: Playwright's website (http://www.caleb-lewis.com/6-million-hits/). Sighted: 9/10/2015

'From multi-award-winning playwright, Caleb Lewis (Death in Bowengabbie, Rust & Bone), comes a semi-autobiographical tale about a couple imploding, a bomb exploding and how love sometimes makes monsters of us all.

“There’s a moment where you choose to let yourself fall in love with someone. And if you catch yourself, in that moment, you can stop yourself staying out for one more drink; or taking their hand; or leaning in to kiss them. But what about the moment you fall out of love? Can you name it? Can you be that precise?”

An investigation into autobiography and the ethics of storytelling, Destroyer of Worlds asks, do we have the right to tell someone else’s story? And if not, is that a good enough reason not to? From a suburban video shop to blinding deserts and cities razed to the ground, this is a story about an old man, a scientist and a dragon that sleeps beneath the sea.' (Rock Surfers Theatre Company)

'Stone in both heart and name, loans officer Maggie has no sympathy for the applicants who cross her path daily, no matter how desperate their stories may be. While possessed of a nice line in sardonic humour, Maggie's existence is one of disappointment and her view of the world narrow.

'Streets away, but worlds apart, African refugee Amath struggles to build a new life for herself and her two children after her husband's murder. When Amath is brought to Maggie by a desperate friend, compassion finally flickers and, whilst sheer hope is not a bankable currency, there may be other ways that Maggie can help. However this means revisiting a life she had long hoped to forget...

'Just what value can you put on another person's life? Would you do the unthinkable to save the people you loved most?'

Source: www.bass.net.au/ (Sighted 02/10/2012).

'A crippled boxer fights on to atone for past sins. A young killer whale trainer comes face to face with death. And a dog fighter discovers fatherhood in the most unexpected of places.

'Three men, three interwoven stories. Each has his will tested beyond belief in this potent exploration of masculinity at its most fragile and brutal.

'Adapted by award-winning playwright Caleb Lewis, from the short stories by Canadian writer Craig Davidson, 'Rust and Bone' brings the talents of exciting Adelaide director Corey McMahon to Sydney.'

Source: Griffin Theatre Company.

'A new Australian play for the adventurous aged 8 to 108

'When Aleksander journeys to the hallowed city of Robotika he is captivated by the technological marvels of the Steam Age. Lured by the promise of a life of leisure, the people have been liberated from work by the box-headed Industrials.

'But all is not as it seems.

'Join Drop Bear Theatre for this original steam-punk adventure where childhood curiosity and friendship prevail in a troubling world. On stage, history is fused with futuristic fantasy to explore issues of trust, racism, globalisation and humanity.' (Source: Drop Bear Theatre website)

'Bowengabbie... a town where everyone gets the seniors discount, Meals On Wheels is a boom industry and the only thing that brings anyone back is a funeral. Oscar swore he'd never return but when Aunt Jeannie dies, not even he can refuse. From fairground fun days and burials at sea through to a scale recreation of the Normandy Landings, Bowengabbie is very good at funerals. And when Oscar meets Abby, with his own wedding just weeks away, his whole world turns on its head as funerals suddenly become fun, and life (and death) something to celebrate.'

Source: Merrigong Theatre website, http://www.merrigong.com.au/
Sighted: 15/03/2010

'[An] adaptation of the traditional Selchie (mermaid) myth'.

Source: Inscription website, www.inscription.com.au (Sighted 30/07/2008)