Set in the outskirts of metropolitan Melbourne, kerosene is a simple and unapologetic solo character study exploring the ways in which society perceives and trivialises acts of female violence. It is a homage to the blind loyalty that accompanies lifelong friendships and the realities of what it means to grow up young, quiet and forgotten in modern day Australia.
The work is presented in two parts: an act of revenge drives the narrative, while memories and reflections of a complex and lifelong friendship colour the minutiae of teenage lives and the socio economic reality of the play’s characters.
Development of the project is taking place throughout November, December and January, with the season heralding Melbourne’s long awaited return to theatre and presented through Theatre Works GLASSHOUSE festival on the 20th of January.
Our stages and screens are already overwrought with stories of middle-class woes, first world problems or needless re-staging of European classics. Independent theatre is one of the few places left to explore class warfare, unpopular opinions and the complex grey areas of a society that wants to see everything in black and white. When we only access the selective pool of stories offered by mainstream narratives, public empathy wanes and it becomes increasingly difficult for us to contemplate the lives of those outside of our immediate social bubble.
In supporting this project you are assisting in the platforming of untold narratives, and giving voice to those often relegated to the outskirts of our storytelling culture.
We have crafted this show specifically for a post Covid era of live performance, absent of frills and spectacle and instead embracing the power of simple storytelling and intimate connection between performer and spectator. It has been designed with the capacity to tour so as to maximise its creative reach to people of all walks of life.
Since we already have the generous support of Abbotsford Convent- being participants of their Pivot initiative- as well as in-kind performance space provided by Theatreworks, any funding generated through the ACF will go towards artist wages and begin to cover the time and effort they’ve invested into the project.
We’re seeking $6,000 spread across five artists over a period of three months. The wages will broken down as such:
Writer and director’s fee- $1500
Performer’s fee- $1500
Producer’s fee- $1000
Composer’s fee- $1000
Lighting designer’s fee- $1000
Covid-19 has had a critical and lasting impact upon the arts industry, with many practising and experienced artists faced with the realties of unemployment or forced into other lines of work.
Your contribution will go straight into the pockets of the artists involved in this project, allowing them to explore, create, and craft this important work with freedom and ease after a year of intense financial struggle.
