Exploring ideas of family, connection, and the anxieties of being an artist, The Motley Bauhas presents the Victorian premiere of The Camel by Dylan Van Den Berg, for a limited season from 20 July 2022.
The Camel is an absurd and darkly comic meditation on failure, siblinghood, and trying to succeed as an artist when there’s a camel in your ceiling.
She wants to be seen, he wants to be heard, and the camel… well… we’re not quite sure. This raucous comedy marries the absurd with the painfully familiar as two siblings have to face the grim truth of their artistic talents while an unknown beast cries out for their attention.
Directed by Marni Mount and driven by powerhouse performances from Myfanwy Hocking and Harry McGee, Dylan Van Den Berg’s wicked comedy is unexpected and hilarious.
“Dylan’s gorgeous work speaks to the essential anxiety of making art in an increasingly disconnected world, and does so with both a sharp wit and a playful tenderness that feel necessary in the world right now,” said Director Marni Mount.
This production marks the Victorian premiere of The Camel, and whilst Melbourne audiences have had a taste of Van Den Berg’s work through the Cybec Electric readings, this will be the first full length production of any of his plays in the region.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been telling stories and performing for thousands of years, so it feels like a natural thing for me to do,” said Writer Dylan Van Den Berg.
“My favourite kinds of stories are those that surprise me, and I try to give my plays the same treatment. We don’t need any more plays set at dinner parties. Please.”
The Camel is an exciting show for anyone interested in fresh faces, new voices, and good comedy, and anyone with a taste for the slightly absurd.
Dylan Van Den Berg is a Palawa writer from the northeast of Lutrawita/Tasmania. His plays include Milk (The Street Theatre, 2021), Whitefella Yella Tree (Cybec Electric: Melbourne Theatre Company, 2021), Way Back When (Next-in-Line: Darlinghurst Theatre Company, 2020), The Camel (Fringe at the Edge, 2020), and Dig (Island Magazine, 2020).
Dylan is currently in residence as a Studio Artist with Griffin Theatre Company, a participant in ILBIJERRI Theatre Company’s BlackWrights program, and a member of Sydney Theatre Company’s Emerging Writers Group. He is under commission at the National Theatre of Parramatta and the Belconnen Arts Centre.
His awards include the Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting at the NSW Premiers Literary Awards, the Griffin Award for New Australian Writing and the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award.
Dylan’s work has also been shortlisted for the Patrick White Playwrights Award (twice), the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award, and was Highly Commended for the Max Afford Award. Dylan studied drama at the ANU and the State University of New York.
Director: Marni Mount | Featuring: Myfanwy Hocking, Harry McGee | Writer: Dylan Van Den Berg | Producer: Flick (FlickFlickCity)
The Camel
The Motley Bauhaus, 118 Elgin Street, Carlton
Season: 20 – 23 July 2022
Bookings: www.trybooking.com
Image: Harry McGee and Myfanwy Hocking star in The Camel – photo by Emma Holland