Despite what romantic comedies show us, love isn't always swooning and happily-ever-afters. . . Nor is it always enough to keep things on the straight and narrow in life.
'Salted Pretzels' at Blue Room Theatre in Perth from APK Productions and queer, First Nations artist Cezera Critti-Schnaars builds on this idea, as it introduces Cassius and Dom who meet online.
The pair click, and go on a date. . . And everything would be a lot more perfect if there weren't two extra people at the table.
This romantic comedy of errors is proof that sometimes the most enduring love stories come from the most unlikely circumstances. It's a heart-bursting, modern celebration of identity and self-discovery, featuring characters are unbound by race or sexuality.
Cezera Critti-Schnaars' passion for theatre started in her childhood, and as a teenager she branched out into writing her own work and participating in Yirra Yaakin Writer's Group. In recent years, she's been part of productions like 'Little Women' (Blue Room Theatre) and 'Mel And Sal', plus she's directed the 'Ngalaka Daa Ensemble' piece for Yirra Yaakin and WAYTco in both 2021/2022.
More recently, she co-directed 'Seven Sisters' with WAYTco for Perth Festival this year, and was awarded Best Newcomer and Best Supporting Actress at the PAWA Awards for her performance in 'Hecate' (2020).
Here, Cezera Critti-Schnaars chats about 'Salted Pretzels' before it hits The Blue Room Theatre in Perth.
Tell us a bit about ‘Salted Pretzels’. . . And why this name?!
Dom and Cassius go on a date and it works out perfectly, but not in the way they’re expecting. There isn’t much more I can say about the plot without spoiling it! At its core it’s a romantic comedy about the complexities of intimacy and how figuring oneself out can be messy and end up with people getting hurt and that’s normal but importantly, it’s okay. The name was actually a draft name for the very first draft of the first version of the script. Pretzels were mentioned so I just used it as the draft name when I sent the first draft off. Then the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. The name sounded fun and didn’t tell the audience what they were in for, so the show got to be more of a surprise!
Were you inspired by any existing works when you were putting this show together?
I definitely was inspired by the rom-com genre as a whole, specifically those from the '80s and '90s. I don’t think I became fully aware of that inspiration until the first public reading back in 2020, when it finally clicked that I had indeed written a romantic comedy. Last year when I was working more intensely on it, my dramaturg, Kate Mulvany, suggested that I read 'Speaking In Tongues' by Andrew Bovell as inspiration for how I could push some of the form that I had begun using in the script.
Where did you begin when it came to writing it – what’s your process like?
So I started writing the first version of 'Salted Pretzels' in 2020 for the Yirra Yaakin Writing Group. I began with knowing what I wanted to talk about, which was that feeling of not belonging because nothing feels as right as you’re told it should. Then I just needed to figure out what story to talk about that through. After a bit of trial and error, I landed on Dom and Cassius. I wrote the ten-minute version in 2020 and then followed up with another ten-minute section in 2021. In 2022, I decided I wanted to turn it into a full length piece and with that came an overhaul (which Kate helped out with) of the story to make it work for a 50-minute show. What worked best for me with 'Salted Pretzels' was having a really clear beginning and once I had figured out how all the characters would be introduced and was happy with that, I could just let the characters and the story take me where they wanted.
Have there been any particularly funny/memorable anecdotes along the way with the show’s creation so far?
What’s been one of the funniest parts of the whole process is actually something that’s happened a few times in the development/rehearsal process and that’s been the cast and crew picking up on accidental innuendos that I hadn’t realised were in the script. What usually follows is a lot of laughter and my bright red face!
What is your favourite element of this production?
Oh gosh that’s hard. I don’t think I can pick a favourite part of this production, because the best bit about it is how everything comes together for it. The other actors and creatives that are working on this show (led by the incredible Director Emily McLean) make nothing short of magic and the visions of the creatives blend together in a way that I couldn’t have ever imagined.
What has been the biggest challenge for you as Lead Creative?
Detaching myself from it. This work has been in development for three years now and it’s the first thing I’ve ever written that has been inspired and connected to my personal life. Those things, in addition to also performing it, means I offer up a lot of myself as an artist in this show. The fear surrounding it means that it’s easy to get too close to see clearly but I’m very aware of that possibility and working with such an incredible team makes it all so much easier.
If you like _______, you’ll LOVE ‘Salted Pretzels’.
'Will & Grace'.
How are you hoping audiences respond to the work?
More than anything, I want audiences to feel seen and held by this work. I want people to watch and then realise ‘oh, I’m not the only one.'
Describe ‘Salted Pretzels’ using a song lyric of your choosing.
“I don’t know why I am the way I am” by Boygenius OR “These days won’t last forever” by Hevenshe.
'Salted Pretzels' plays Blue Room Theatre (Perth) 3-21 October.
