ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID'S CITY Comes to New Theatre

It's Christmas, and theatre director Will Drummond is having a colossal mid-life crisis.

Nothing is certain any more. His parents are suddenly old, his professional world is changing, everyone around him seems to be losing faith and losing the plot, and it feels as if society has lost its soul.

For Will, it's going to be a time of reckoning and a journey of discovery towards a deeper, if not especially comfortable, awareness of himself.

This sprawling saga covers four decades, across two hemispheres, from intimate encounters to vast historical events, investigating the bond between mother and child, the loss of innocence, and the inevitability of death.

It is a powerful, angry, profoundly moving, viciously funny, brilliant play about the possibilities of life and of theatre, and a classic of contemporary Australian dramatic writing.

This production is directed by Patrick Howard, who brought us Five Guys Chillin' for the Sydney Fringe Festival last year.

"When I first read the play, I immediately found myself identifying very strongly with the main protagonist, Will," says Patrick. "Gay, a theatre artist, a tiny bit hopeless, and moving into a drastically new chapter of his life.

"I think most people will be able to relate to the situation Will finds himself in in the play. At some stage we will all lose, or have lost, our parents, and it is a threshold into a place of great uncertainty," says Patrick. "And I think most people have had at least one Christmas that is quietly very sad, and know how cruel it can feel that the world goes on celebrating with joy around you."

What particularly appealed to Patrick was Gow's wonderful and fiercely intelligent writing, with its nods to Brecht and the importance of the ensemble to the story-telling. "It's a funny, incredibly touching, sad, bittersweet and shrewdly exact text. And the ensemble, on the big New Theatre stage stripped bare of set, will be integral to this production."

Patrick was thrilled when Artistic Director Louise Fischer asked him to take on the production. "It's so excellent that New Theatre has programmed a revival of this magnificent play. Michael Gow is one of Australia's best living playwrights, and Sydney hasn't seen a production of this play since its premiere at Belvoir in 2014. It's incredibly important that our best new writing is supported not only after a successful first season, but also not long after, to ensure that it's kept alive and isn't immediately consigned to theatre archives and scenework masterclasses. Once in Royal David's City deserves its place in the canon of Australian modern classics."

And what does he hope audiences will take away from the production? "Well, I think a lot of people might need to call their mum to tell them they love them after seeing the show."

CREATIVE TEAM
Director Patrick Howard
Production & Lighting Designer Victor Kalka
Sound Designer Ryan Devlin
Assistant Director Trudy Ritchie
Costume Assistant Luciana Nguyen
Production Manager Cecilia Strachan
Stage Managers Christina McKune, Daniel O'Neill
Cast: Alana Birtles, Ben Brighton, Amy Victoria Brooks
Sandra Campbell, Nathalie Fenwick, Nicholas Foustellis
Angela Johnston, Alice Livingstone, Aimee Lodge
Francisco Lopez, Martin Portus, Bryden White-Tuohey

SEASON
19 March - 13 April

PERFORMANCE TIMES
Previews 19 & 20 Mar 7:30pm
Opening Night Thu 21 Mar 7:30pm
Thur - Sat 7:30pm
Sun 5pm
Sat 13 Apr 2pm only

TICKET PRICES
Full $35
Concessions, Groups (6+) $30
Previews, Thrifty Thursdays $20

BOOKINGS
NEWTHEATRE.ORG.AU