Acclaimed queer black comedy ‘Trophy Boys’ will tour nationally this year after rave reviews and multiple sold-out seasons.
The tour will hit a number of locations around the country including Arts Centre Melbourne, Carriageworks in Sydney, Riverside Theatres in Parramatta and Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane.
Set on the biggest night of Melbourne’s academic calendar (the Year 12 Interschool Debating Tournament Grand Final), ‘Trophy Boys’ follows the all-boys debate team from an elite private school, tasked with arguing that ‘feminism has failed women’.
The play is performed by an all-female and non-binary cast, in masculine drag. It unfolds in real time during the debate’s one-hour prep window, exploring power and privilege through riotously funny satire.
‘Trophy Boys’ is written by Emmanuelle Mattana and directed by Marni Mount. It debuted to sold-out crowds at La Mama Theatre in 2022, followed by sold-out seasons at fortyfivedownstairs in 2023 and Arts Centre Melbourne in 2024.
“Once upon a time I was a competitive high school debater who would make jokes with her friends about how we 'probably knew' the next Prime Minister,” Emmanuelle Mattana says.
2024 production - Image © Ben Andrews
“Soon, when the sorts of horrors taking place in the halls of Parliament began coming to light, this old joke became less funny, and I felt compelled to revisit my time as a high school debater in the only way that felt right – drag, camp, and a lot of comedy.”
“‘Trophy Boys’ dares to look at misogyny in a new way, through a satirical lens: it's riotous, irreverent, and the performances are infectious.”
“As we grapple as a society with how to combat violence, I think it takes this kind of approach to change the way we see things and invite a new way of thinking.”
‘Trophy Boys’ scored a nomination for Best Independent Production at the 2024 Sydney Theatre Awards and four nominations at the 2023 Green Room Awards. Off the back of its Australian success, a US production is set to premiere later this year off Broadway in New York, directed by Tony Award-winning Danya Taymor.
For the 2025 Australian tour, Leigh Lule will return as the nerdy enigma David, along with Gaby Seow as the dopey lawyer’s son Scott and Fran Sweeney-Nash as the soft-boy-jock Jared. Myfanwy Hocking will debut as the brainiac scholarship kid Owen.
‘Trophy Boys’ Australia 2025 Tour Dates
23 July-3 August – Carriageworks (Sydney)6-9 August – Riverside Theatres (Parramatta)
12-24 August – Arts Centre Melbourne
25-30 August – Queensland Performing Arts Centre
This story originally appeared on our queer sister site, FROOTY.
