31 JULY - 10 AUGUST 2019 Sue Benner Theatre, Metro Arts

Directed by Lisa O’Neill & Anatoly Frusin

LOVE ANDINFORMATION

BY CARYL CHURCHILL

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTORS

Love and Information consists of seven numbered sections, each made up of seven named scenes. Within each section the scenes can be played in any order. There is also one final scene and some random scenes that can be positioned anywhere. The characters are different in every scene. There are no indications of locations, context, character names, gender or relationships apart from what can be determined through the dialogue. All those crucial details have to be discovered and created by the directors and actors. All the scenes explore two basic human drives: the need for meaning and the need for connection. The play is like a contemporary “Rear Window”, a scroll through a media feed, an IKEA kit set, or the preserved fragments of early 21st Century life on display in some futuristic or alien archaeological museum.

Churchill’s play holds up a mirror to the banal and random surface of our lives, a surface that often conceals depths of tragedy, and shows how our ordinary actions achieve a tragic dimension by the situation in which we find ourselves: members of a privileged society, victims and perpetrators at the same time, waiting for the other shoe to drop. And even more so now than in 2012 when the play was written.

A quote from Jeanette Winterson’s novel Frankissstein perfectly sums up Caryl Churchill’s play (and we hope the effect our production will have on the audience):“Only in the living of it does life seem ordinary. In the telling of it we find ourselves strangers among the strange.”

The music is selected from the “Goldberg Variations” by J. S. Bach, BWV 988, published in 1741 and “composed for music lovers to refresh their spirits”, played by Kimiko Ishizaka.

Lisa O’Neill & Anatoly Frusin

ABOUT ROBERT THE CAT

Robert The Cat (RTC) is a new theatre collective headed by Lisa O’Neill and Anatoly Frusin (directors), and Rosalind Williams (vocal coach). Together, they have directed and taught within the acting program at TAFE Queensland for over a decade; and maintained a wide range of national and international creative practice across many theatrical platforms and genres. For the past 10 years they have had the fortune of working with apprentice actors within an educational setting, developing contemporary works that are highly crafted and marked by an emotional intensity, physicality and theatricality. The Robert The Cat collective has been established to take the work of these practitioners to a broader public, provide the many talented graduates from the course with a platform to continue their theatre practice, and create an opportunity to showcase their skilled work as emerging performers in challenging contemporary theatre practice.

BIOGRAPHIES

Caryl Churchill’s plays include Escaped Alone; Owners; Light Shining In Buckinghamshire; Traps; Cloud Nine; Top Girls; Fen; Serious Money; Ice Cream; Mad Forest; The Skriker; Blue Heart; This Is A Chair; Far Away; A Number; A Dream Play; Drunk Enough To Say I Love You?; Seven Jewish Children; Love And Information; Here We Go, Pigs And Dogs. Music theatre includes Lives of the Great Poisoners and Hotel, both with Orlando Gough. Caryl has also written for radio and television.

Lisa O’Neill is a dancer, performer, choreographer, performance director and educator working across mediums in dance, theatre, contemporary performance and new-media. A multi-skilled performing artist, Lisa has developed a broad body of performance works over the past 25years, presenting across Australia, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, New Zealand and United States of America. A polymath of sorts, Lisa has presented digital art installations in the Forbidden City of Beijing, performed Off Broadway in Australia’s longest running children’s show Fluff, danced at the Sydney Opera House numerous times and acted in Shakespeare and Greek Tragedies in castles and ruins across Europe. RealTime Arts quoted, ‘However idiosyncratic, Lisa O’Neill is an iconic Queensland dancer, actor and new media artist’ Doug Leonard, 2009. Since 2001 Lisa has directed the Acting program at TAFE Queensland, using this platform to facilitate a rigorous and informed performance culture for young actors and performers to practice and study.

CREATIVESZAC BOULTONPerformer

KATY COTTER Performer

AMY HAUSER Performer

CAITLIN HILL Performer

CALUM JOHNSTONPerformer

DARCY JONES Performer

PATRICK MU’A Performer

CHELSEA O’BRIEN Performer

PAIGE POULIER Performer

PETER WOOD Performer

LISA O’NEILL Co-Director / Operator

ANATOLY FRUSINCo-Director

ROSALIND WILLIAMS Voice Coach

GEOFF SQUIRES Lighting & AV Designer / Operator

WARWICK FRASER Show Photographer

CALUM JOHNSTON Promotional Video

CARYL CHURCHILL Playwright

MUSIC: J.S Bach - Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka, Piano.

Love and Information was first performed at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Sloane Square, on Thursday 6 September 2012.

Anatoly Frusin is a Russian born, New Zealand raised and Australian based director, writer and acting teacher. He graduated from the University of Auckland with a Masters in English Literature, and continued his studies at the University of Toronto Drama Centre on a Commonwealth Scholarship. In 1996 he graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Directing, and then worked extensively at Belvoir Street Theatre in Sydney, at Opera Australia and other opera companies; as well as directing many independent productions. His collaborations with Polish based Kropka Theatre have been seen at festivals all over Europe and the Middle East, and have been widely awarded. He is currently a lecturer and co-course convenor for a Bachelor Degree in Creative Arts (Acting and Performance) at TAFE Queensland. He teaches Acting, Theatre History, and directs student productions as well as working in the industry in theatre and cross-genre collaborative projects.

Rosalind Williams graduated from NIDA’s voice studies course in 1996 and has been teaching voice to trainee actors for over a decade, including students at NIDA’s Young Actor’s Studio, TAFE Queensland and QUT. Having majored in drama and English at UQ, Rosalind brings her love of literature and theatre history to her voice teaching. She also has an MA in creative industries (film) from QUT and is fascinated by film voice and acting methodologies. Rosalind has a Graduate Diploma in Education, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and she is a qualified yoga teacher (IYTA). She synthesises her interest in voice and movement in her teaching. Rosalind has studied with Bill Pepper, Betty Williams, Rowena Baylos, Cicely Berry, Barbara Houseman, Kristin Linklater, Nancy Krebs and Katerina Moriatis. In 2018 Rosalind completed an intensive in the Lessac method at NIDA. She is also currently half way through her Linklater training. Rosalind works as a community lawyer.

Geoff Squires has lost count of the number of shows he has lit. He has lit for La Boite, QTC and many other companies. Recent shows are 39 Steps, The Boy From Oz, Wolfgang and The Owl And The Pussycat. He has toured shows to Israel, Wales, Fiji, London, The Netherlands, New York, New Zealand, and Singapore as well as extensively around Australia. Geoff taught Technical Theatre at TAFE Queensland and has lit all of the end of semester shows for the last nine years. He also runs his own design and production business, Pro-Nel Lighting where he owns more lights than he knows what to do with. Geoff received a Matilda Commendation 2000 for Lighting Design and a Matilda Backstage Award Commendation 2001 for Sustained Contribution to Theatre.

Zachary Boulton is a proud Brisbane based Actor, Director, Playwright and Teacher. Zachary’s most recent and significant credits include: Clyde in Feature Film Brisbane by Stewart Tyrrell (2018), Mark in 13 by Mike Bartlett, Dweezil and Phil in cartoon Space Chickens in Space (2018), Veles in Xbox game Hand of Fate 2 (2018), Earl in Agnus and Earl – Commonwealth Games (2018), Participant of PlayLab Incubator program (2017), Guest Artist Teacher at Yeronga State High (2016-18), Seasonal QUT Acting Tutor

(2016-17), DJ in Hanako Brisbane Festival (2016), Zac in one man show The fever (2015). Zachary graduated from the acting programs at both Griffith University and Southbank Institute of Technology.

Katy Cotter is an actor and writer who is no stranger to Metro Arts, having performed in numerous shows over the past ten years. In 2014 she was a part of Daniel Evans’ short-play marathon Awkward Conversation, and the following year in a three-week season of a theatrical and musical thriller Dust Covered Butterfly, that she also co-wrote. Last year, Katy was selected by PlayLab to be apart of their Alpha Processing Program that culminated in a dramatic reading of her new play Dry. Katy is a proud graduate from the acting course at South Bank Institute of Technology (TAFE Queensland), having been taught by the late Norman Price. Katy owes her strength of performance from her days at South Bank, and she’s excited to return to Metro and reunite with her beloved mentors and fellow peers of yesteryear.

Amy Hauser is an actor and performance maker who graduated from the Bachelor of Acting and Performance at TAFE Queensland in partnership with the University of Canberra in 2016. She has a particular interest in creating, developing and performing works that are intelligent, thought provoking and is relevant to serious topics in today’s society. A majority of Amy’s work has been in live theatre. Some of her work includes Mother Courage and Her Children (Kattrin), The Skriker (Josie) and The Maids (Claire). She recently created and performed Frankenstein and I for the Brisbane Sci-Fi Theatre Festival with actor Peter Keavy. Amy is currently working on various theatre productions for presentation in 2020, including her ongoing project House of Milk with performance maker Jack Pacey. She has worked with multiple directors and mentors including Brian Lucas, Norman Price, Lisa O’Neill, and Anatoly Frusin.

Caitlin Hill graduated from TAFE Queensland with an Adv. Dip. in Acting in 2014. Since then Caitlin has worked on Hanako (Belloo Creative), Player 2 for Fringe World Perth (Backyard Theatre Collective), Romeo & Juliet; Macbeth (Share House Theatre Company), The Maids (Mad Women on the Shore), and co-devised The Wives of Wolfgang (written by Hannah Belanszky) for Anywhere Theatre Festival and Wonderland Festival. Caitlin created the short comedy Boys Taste Better with Nutella, and developed the work with actor Peter Wood for Short+Sweet Festival where it won “Best Actor”, “Best Script” and “Best Overall Production” in 2016. The show made its full-length debut with Short+Sweet at the Brisbane Powerhouse in 2017. Nutella recently performed at Fringe World Perth where it won a Weekly Theatre Award, and will next perform at Melbourne Fringe. Caitlin was most recently in Kill Climate Deniers (THAT Production Company) at Metro Arts.

Calum Johnston is a Brisbane based actor and director who has completed his Bachelor of Acting and Performance at TAFE Queensland in partnership with Canberra University. Calum has experience with stage performance, film, and TVC’s. Recently, as

part of Switchboard Collective, Calum production managed Heaven Help You Now and is now a major part of the company. The company has also produced and presented Terra-fied for the Anywhere Theatre Festival and the inaugural Brisbane Sci-Fi Theatre Festival in 2019 at the Norman Price Theatre. Calum is currently working on his own solo project, Don’t press the button, and hopes to tour it around Australia and internationally.

Darcy Jones is a 2016 graduate of the Bachelor of Acting and Performance program at TAFE Queensland in partnership with the University of Canberra. During his studies Darcy performed in a variety of contemporary, classical and self-devised works including Caryl Churchill, Bertolt Brecht, Aristophanes and Janos Pilinszky. In 2017 he completed his Honors with a focus on audience role and theatre for the home. His recent performances include Sunny Tribe District at Short+Sweet 2018, of which won numerous awards, Brisbane with the Villanova Players and Julius Caesar produced by Heart Beast Theater Company. Darcy was most recently in the creative development project Tower of Babel by Baran Theatre at Metro Arts.

Patrick Mu’a is a Samoan/Australian performer, choreographer and an upcoming director and writer in Brisbane. Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting and Performance from TAFE Queensland in partnership with the University of Canberra, Patrick has developed a broad range of performance skills that he has applied to his own craft creating performances for various performance events. Of significance, his recent work Sunny Tribe District won Best Script Award, Best Theatre Production and People’s choice award at the 2018 Short+Sweet Theatre Festival Gala finals. Patrick also works as a choreographer at Secondary Schools and fashion shows. Credits Include: Bootcamp Royale 8 (2014), The Frogs (2014), O solo Mio 4 (2015), Mother Courage and her Children (2015), The Skriker (2016), Invention no.45.B volume 9, The Remix (2017), Marsden State High School Showcase (2014-2017), Terrafied (2018), Sunny Tribe District (2018), LuseExclusiveStyles fashion show (2018).

Chelsea O’Brien graduated from TAFE Queensland in partnership with University of Canberra with a Bachelor of Acting and Performance in 2017. She has trained with Anthony Wong and recently audited in the Larry Moss masterclass. Chelsea has been involved in several self-devised theatre works across Queensland and a variety of festivals, including: Terra-fied for the Anywhere Theatre Festival and the Starlight Foundation, Husband Wanted - a one woman show for the FAST Festival, Heaven Help You Now for the Short + Sweet Festival, Women in White for the Crow’s Nest Arts Council (2019) and Short + Sweet Festival, and Office Ambience for the 24 Hour Theatre Festival. Her recent film credits include works The Assist (Griffith University), One Way (Ham Productions), Three Fishes (Vision Media Post), The Next Big Thing (QUT); Good Will Hunting and Music Videos Bittersweet World. Chelsea is represented by EGO management and aims to create empowering work.

Paige Poulier is a Brisbane-based actor and performance maker. Paige received nominations at the 2016 Matilda Awards in the Best Supporting Actress category, as well as for the Billie Brown Emerging Artist Award for her role in the QLD Shakespeare Ensemble’s production of Twelfth Night. Paige was a core ensemble member of QSE for two years, where she had the opportunity to hone her craft for classical texts, as well as with new, contemporary works. She performed her original work The Roasting for the 2015 QLD Short and Sweet Festival. Paige won the following overall awards: Best Actor, Best New Talent, Best Theatre Production. Other credits: QSE’s The Blood Votes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Hamlet, Bogga, The Winter’s Tale, Wives Of Wolfgang (ATF), Henry V (SBIT), Chicago, Chicago (SBIT), Spring Awakening (SBIT). Paige graduated with an Advanced Diploma of Fine Arts (Acting) from South Bank Institute of Technology (TAFE Queensland) in 2015.

Peter Wood is an Australian-Asian actor and performance maker. He graduated with a Bachelor of Acting and Performance from TAFE Queensland in partnership with the University of Canberra. He won “Best Actor” for his work in Why Am I Like This? which he created and performed for Short+Sweet 2018. He also scored “Best Theatre Production”, “Best Script” and “People’s Choice Award” for his work in Sunny Tribe District alongside actors Patty Mu’A and Darcy Jones. Boys Taste Better With Nutella is a play Peter co-created and performed with actor Caitlin Hill. After winning “Best Script” and “Best Overall Production” at Short+Sweet 2016, the full-length version debuted at the Brisbane Powerhouse in 2017. Boys Taste Better With Nutella will make its national debut at Perth Fringe in 2019 under Backyard Theatre Collective. Notable credits include The Wishing Well (Two Braids Collective), Motor-Mouth & Suck-Face (Share House Theatre Company), and Containment (Brisbane Powerhouse).

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Metro Arts and the artists acknowledge the Jagera and Turrbal peoples, as the custodians of this land, recognising their connection to land, waters and community. We honour the story-telling and art-making at the heart of First Nation’s cultures, and the enrichment it gives to the lives of all Australians. Always was, Always will be.

Metro Arts’ Programming Team:

Jo ThomasCEO + Creative Director

Verity Woodford Senior Producer

Matt Seery Associate Producer

Shani Gould Programming and Marketing Coordinator

SPECIAL THANKS

Special thanks from Robert The Cat to; the actors, Geoff Squires, Rosalind Williams, staff at Metro Arts, Dr Patrick Mitchell, Dr Ian Wells, Jackie French, TAFE Queensland Marketing Team, Creative Brisbane, Encore Event Technologies, Pro-Nel Lighting, Calum Johnston, Warrick Fraser, TAFE Queensland, University of Canberra, TAFE Queensland Nursing and Health, TAFE Queensland Acting staff and students, Norman Price.

Metro Arts is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. Metro Arts is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of

Environment and Science. Metro Arts is proudly supported by Brisbane City Council.

Metro Arts is proudly supported by TAFE Queensland as Education Partner. Metro Arts is proud partner of Bones Accounting, Dendy Cinemas, EPSON, and The Victory Hotel.