Two world premieres at Old Mill Theatre deliver deeply moving theatre and comedy galore
Chris Thomas
short plays this September.
Written by Eilannin Dhu and directed by Dannielle Ashton, Black and White is
the journey of a young girl entrenched in a relationship of domestic
violence and mental ill-health.
"The story focuses on her struggle to break out of the situation she's in,"
Ashton said. "It's a deeply-moving piece that will keep you on the edge of
your seat.
Ashton, who is also a youth worker, believes Black and White is an extremely
important story to tell.
"It's based on a true story involving an older guy and younger girl and the
mental health issues he's trying to come to terms with amid the domestic
violence," she said.
"One of the challenges is keeping the story truthful and real, ensuring the
representation of the characters is accurate and believable.
"We also need to remain sensitive about the story while the creative
processing is evolving."
Ashton has a wealth of award-winning theatre credits to her name including
best director for Trainspotting and best overall production for The Return
and Indian Summer at the past three DramaFests and runner-up best play for A
Streetcar Named Desire and The Sum of Us at the past two Finley Awards,
among numerous others.
Lightening the mood is Past Loves, a farce written by Martin Lindsay and
directed by Jeff Watkins, that explores how a small suspicion of infidelity
can affect relationships and friendships between two couples.
"The idea came from a late-night radio discussion about the-then new
Japanese Prime Minister and the eccentricities of his wife," Lindsay said.
"But fear of lawsuits made me transfer the play to a more suburban scenario
and characters.
"I wanted to explore the impact of the suspicion of infidelity, whether real
or otherwise, upon two couples and their intertwined relationships - how are
best mates, associated partners, and couples affected when the seed of
infidelity is planted?
"Mixed in was the idea of tolerance of other people's beliefs when those
particular beliefs may not be as flexible in return, matched with the
consequences they may have in real life."
Lindsay previously received numerous awards for his script A One Night
Stand-Off in 2008, including best actor, original work, play and
co-director, and the play has since been performed in Ireland.
"It's interesting to hear your words and characters interpreted by others
with some things exactly how you imagined them and others surprisingly
different," he said.
Black and White and Past Loves play at 8pm, September 2, 3, 4, 9 and 10.
Tickets are $15 - book on (08) 9367 8719 or email
oldmill...@iinet.net.au.
The heritage-listed Old Mill Theatre is on Mends Street, South Perth,
opposite the Windsor Hotel.