Lab Kelpie, one of Australia’s leading new writing theatre companies, will partner with Theatre Works, the home of independent theatre, to present the world premiere of Every Lovely Terrible Thing, a timely and universal tale of love, courage and intergenerational trauma by award-winning emerging queer playwright Adam Fawcett, this March.
Directed by Justin Nott and featuring a stellar ensemble including Lyall Brooks, Emma Choy, Sharon Davis, Jordan Fraser-Trumble, Megan Jones and Wil King, this darkly comedic two-act drama will boldly examine why dysfunctional families stay together – and what happens when they can’t.
Step inside the tumultuous world of the Colemans as they prepare to take on their greatest adversary yet: themselves. Widowed matriarch Jerica yearns to sell the decaying family home and break free from her past.
Her conservative son Charles seeks to reinvent himself as a modern publican and councillor, while his wife Phoebe doesn’t know what she wants – except that it’s probably not Charles.
Meanwhile, underneath all their noses, reclusive grandchild Cooper forges an unlikely connection with Lachie, the enigmatic tradie tasked with repairing Jerica’s house.
Things are finally looking up for the Colemans until Jerica’s estranged, prickly daughter Brit returns home guarding a secret so big it threatens to blow up the entire family.
Adam Fawcett is a queer playwright and screenwriter who lives and works on Djaara country in regional Victoria. With a practice focused on exploring queerness and trauma through text, their debut play Become The One was awarded the 2018 Midsumma Queer Playwriting Award, before embarking on a national tour in 2022. Become The One was recently developed into a 21-episode web series through Matthewswood Productions.
Director: Justin Nott | Featuring: Lyall Brooks, Sharon Davis, Megan Jones, Emma Choy, Jordan Fraser-Trumble, Wil King | Set Design: Harry Gill | Lighting Design: Sidney Younger | Sound Design: Tom Backhaus | Costume Design: Martelle Hunt | Video Design: Aron Murray | Stage Manager: Ashleigh Walwyn | Dramaturg: Sharon Davis | Producer: Lab Kelpie | Playwright: Adam Fawcett
Every Lovely Terrible Thing
Theatre Works, 14 Acland Street, St Kilda
Season: 1 – 16 March 2024 (preview: 29 February)
Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au
For more information, visit: www.labkelpie.com for details.
Image: Megan Jones as Jerica Coleman – courtesy of Lab Kelpie