Western Australia’s Black Swan State Theatre Company (BSSTC) will present its 2023 with Artistic Director Kate Champion at the helm for the first time, as the company enters a new era.
The 2023 season reflects Kate’s search for “stimulating and arresting ways to tell compelling stories, which grip the imagination in ways that excite and provoke.”
The season returns to the State Theatre Centre, showcasing works from classic to contemporary, independent to main stage, interstate to WA, plus a world premiere of a new Australian work. Each play has been written and created by Australian artists at the peak of their powers, infused with Western Australian talent.
“It is full of bold theatrical endeavours and unique Western Australian perspectives.” Kate Champion says of the 2023 offering. “I am proud to have the opportunity to build on this history - a history like no other and an inspiration to all who follow.”
The 2023 season begins with BSSTC continuing its dynamic relationship with Perth Festival, presenting Melbourne Theatre Company’s ‘Cyrano’ by Virginia Gay and directed by Sarah Goodes. It freely adapts and reimagines Edmond Rostand’s classic play, as Virginia Gay takes on the title role.
'Things I Know To Be True' – Image © Frances Andrijich
In the third year of a partnership with The Blue Room Theatre comes murder ballad ‘The Bleeding Tree’ by Angus Cerini. A cast of three First Nations women will take this tale to new levels of darkness and humour.
Acclaimed WA writer Andrew Bovell will expose a tumultuous year in the life of the Price family, with ‘Things I Know To Be True’. Funny, touching and relatable, the play delves deep into household dynamics and how we react to change.
Black Swan presents internationally celebrated dance theatre company Marrugeku’s ‘Jurrungu Ngan-ga [Yawuru: Straight Talk]’. It’s a new dance, sound and installation work interrogating our capacity to lock away and isolate that which we fear. It explores Indigenous and refugee stories of humiliation and torture in prisons and detention centres, simultaneously considering the power of their joy and ‘hope’.
The beloved and multi award-winning Mandy and Hayley McElhinney conjure up a new Australian work in ‘Dirty Birds’. It was conceived after 20 years of dreaming, reflecting the sisters’ own Irish heritage. It’s a world premiere directed by Kate Champion – a poignant exploration into their characters’ darkest secrets.
Black Swan State Theatre Company’s 2023 season begins with ‘Cyrano’.
