Black Stamp Theatre to Present JEREMIAH'S TUESDAY

Black Stamp Theatre presents the world premiere of Jeremiahs Tuesday. Written and directed by Stefan Mrowinski and performed by Steven Kennedy.

Stefan Mrowinski is one of the world's leading proponents of the Monodrama form of theatre. He has worked with some of the worlds most renowned and respected theatre theorists/practitioners including Jerzy Grotowski and Peter Brook. Since Graduating with a Masters in Performing Arts from the Warsaw Institute of Performing Arts in 1963 he has specialized in short drama plays, monodramas and the ritual theatre forms. In 1980 he was brought Australia to establish the Department of Drama at the Victoria College. In that same year he also established the course Drama and Theatre Directing at Rusden College - Monash University where he was Senior Lecturer until 1993.

Steven Kennedy is primarily an actor though he also has credits as a producer, director, writer, voice over artist and songwriter. In 2013 he founded his own company Theaterotica. Taking on the roles of Artistic Director, Producer, Director and Actor he created two seasons of Monorotica a series of comedic monologues, poems and songs with adult themes Other stage productions include Tinkertown, Revengers Comedy, Three Sisters, Babes in the Woods, Bullshot Crummond, Grapes of Wrath, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and Loot.

Jeremiah's Tuesday was first drafted in Polish in 1990. It was translated to English in 1997 by Robert Reisner and published in The World of Monodrama - Stefan Mrowinski in 2007.

In early 2011 Mrowinski cast Steven Kennedy after the two had worked together on Leonard Radic's The Revengers Comedy.

In 2012 both recognized the political landscape in Australia was changing and that there was a hint fascism in the air. The Arab spring was also a hot topic of conversation. It was time to redraft. They reversed the setting to the future and changed the protagonist at the core of the piece from a socialist/communist dictator to a democratic dictator.

Mrowinski explains 'The essential theme of Jeremiah's Tuesday is the unquenchable thirst of the human ego and the tendency towards delusions of grandeur under the influence of all encompassing power. '

It is likely that Jeremiah's Tuesday will be Stefan's final production due to ill health. He best describes it: 'I've saved the best till last!'

The piece uncovers the satirical nature of a dictator in a metaphysical way. Set in the future, it poetically explores the vertical cliff face we are hurtling towards - the demise of representative democracy.

'The play is a prophetic treatise on the current political zeitgeist ie: the use of mass media propaganda to fool the masses into supporting totalitarian creep and believing in the concept of a "New World Order"' Kennedy adds.

Jeremiah, in his dreams and ambitions is a prophet and savior. He is the supreme dictator. Comparisons could be made between Jeremiah and history's most ruthless leaders - Caligula, Nero, Stalin, Hitler, Amin etc... However, some or perhaps all that the character says could be the product of fantasy and imagination.

The text and style is, at times, harshly visceral and confronting at others beautifully lyrical and compassionate.

This play should not be seen as a "self-meaning" artistic presentation, but an imported secret dialog with the spectator.