Musical Theatre Superfans Take the Spotlight in REPEAT ATTENDERS Documentary

Australian independent filmmaker, Hello Dooley Productions, is excited to announce the world premiere of REPEAT ATTENDERS - a feature-length documentary film that takes us inside the fascinating world of musical theatre superfans.

Selected for this year's Centerstage program at the renowned DOC NYC documentary film festival, REPEAT ATTENDERS will celebrate its World Premiere in New York at 21:45 on Wednesday 15th November at Cinépolis Chelsea.

In this groundbreaking new film, producer / director Mark Dooley delves into the psychology of the most extreme Broadway superfans, to reveal the quirks and complexities of their obsessions.

For some people, Broadway musicals are merely frivolous entertainment, a fun way to spend a few hours. For others, it's an all-consuming obsession, a way of life and even the key to their very identity. These superfans are so committed to their favourite show that they return to see that show again and again, hundreds of times over.

REPEAT ATTENDERS shines a spotlight on Broadway superfans and the growing global phenomenon of 'repeat attending', as it examines just how far the most extreme superfans will go in pursuit of their passion - some with devastating consequences.

Filmed on Broadway, London's West End, Bochum Germany and Australia's Melbourne and Brisbane over a five-year period, REPEAT ATTENDERS introduces us to some of the world's biggest, most extreme superfans of shows such as CATS, RENT, LES MISERABLES and STARLIGHT EXPRESS.

Australian Mark Dooley is an independent filmmaker based in Melbourne and one of only three Australian filmmakers screening at this year's DOC NYC documentary film festival. Having worked in broadcast television since 2000, Mark has extensive credits to his name in factual, documentary and reality television and has worked around the globe on some of the world's biggest television franchise brands. Mark's most recent factual and documentary program credits include Filthy Rich and Homeless (Blackfella Films/SBS), Student Swap (SBS), Everyone's a Critic (Matchbox Pictures/ABC), Keeping Australia Alive and Keeping Australia Safe (ITV Studios/ABC).

As a producer, director and documentary film and musical theatre lover, REPEAT ATTENDERS is the inevitable result of Mark combining his passions. At its heart, the film is about understanding what drives people to return to see the same show in the same theatre, hundreds of times over.

The idea for REPEAT ATTENDERS was born in 2012 when Mark first decided he wanted to create a documentary about a subject he knew a lot about (theatre), but a subculture he did not (repeat attenders). In many ways, REPEAT ATTENDERS is a love letter to Broadway superfans everywhere.

According to Mark, "Making a feature documentary alone is not an easy task. It either takes hundreds of thousands of dollars, or it takes time. Seeing the end result premiere on the big screen at DOC NYC is a dream come true and makes it all worthwhile."

"REPEAT ATTENDERS is a documentary film made for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, different, or alone in the world. For anyone who has thought they are the black sheep of the family, unworthy of love or that they don't belong."

"REPEAT ATTENDERS introduces the audience to a world where we can escape all of this. Inside a darkened theatre you are allowed to be who you are, without judgement. In a theatre you can cry, laugh, relate and heal together, despite being surrounded by strangers. This is so unique and just one of the qualities that make theatre so special and so cherished by the people who love it."

"All the things you might be judged for in the real world don't matter here. Here in the theatre, you are simply part of the human race, having a shared experience," he said.

Visit www.docnyc.net/film/repeat-attenders or go to www.repeatattenders.com for more information.