MTC's NEON Festival of Independent Theatre Kicks Off Next Month

The countdown is on to MTC's 2015 NEON Festival of Independent Theatre which makes Southbank Theatre its home from 14 May to 25 July.

The Festival sees MKA: Theatre of New Writing, The Zoey Louise Moonbeam Dawson Shakespeare Company, Dirty Pretty Theatre, Dee & Cornelius and Elbow Room each present a ten-day season of a work of their choice; the first NEON Residency as Rawcus embarks on the creative development of its next full-scale work; and a special closing night event presented by The Last Tuesday Society.

The first Sunday performance of each production will be followed by a NEON CONVERSATION about the work, its influences and the broader context in which it sits. During these post-show conversations, arts journalist and broadcaster Fiona Gruber will be joined by the theatre makers behind each production including John Kachoyan, Kat Henry, Gary Abrahams, Zoey Dawson, Romanie Harper, Susie Dee, Patricia Cornelius and Emily Tomlins; and guest panellists including Lally Katz, Professor Ken Gelder and Clementine Ford.

Also running throughout the eleven-week Festival, NEON EXTRA offers a broad range of workshops and events for theatre makers and theatre lovers, and NEON Readings showcase three brand new plays from local playwrights.

This year the NEON Bar returns with a new design and new location. Now situated inside Southbank Theatre, the bar offers a place to gather pre and post-show to soak up the festival atmosphere.

Tickets to all productions and events are on sale now. NEON productions: $25 or $100 for all five plays; Pimp My Play: $20; NEON Readings: $5. Applications for the free NEON EXTRA workshops for independent theatre makers are now open. To view the full program and to book visit mtc.com.au/neon.