shake and stir theatre company is bringing back one of its original productions 'Tequila Mockingbird' to Queensland audiences all through October.
The return of the production is part of a suite of shows that celebrates shake and stir's ten year anniversary. For the three artistic directors Nelle Lee, Nick Skubij, and Ross Balbuziente, the last ten years have been a blur.
“I can't remember my life prior to shake and stir,” Ross says. “We are constantly so busy and so deep in producing and delivering work right. We're swamped with producing work every single day, but that's how we like it. It's allowed time to just fly by.”
The three, who are also performing in the show, are as tight-knit as ever. “The three of us started the company back in 2006, and were really good friends back then,” Ross says. “We remain just as close now a decade later in this world of producing theatre every single day of our lives. We complement each other really well, each of us comes to the table with a different set of skills, but we all share that same goal and passion to create theatre that excites our audiences.”
'Tequila Mockingbird', which was first created and performed in 2013, received critical praise and won numerous awards and nominations. Ross and the team know that the production can be even better. “The goal is to always create a show that is the best it can be at the time,” Ross says. “We're always wanting it to be better, but you can never reach perfection in the arts. That's what drives us to keep going and to bring back productions like these. We want to make it better than what it was previously.”
Ross is excited to have his biggest influences back for the production as well. “We've got Bryan Probets and Barbara Lowing in the show,” he says. “Both of those actors were responsible for me pursuing a career in the arts. They were the actors that I looked to when I was student. They blew me away back then, and they continue to blow me away when we are rehearsing or performing with them. If you would have told me 15 years ago that we were working with them, I wouldn't have believed you.”
The company is also focused on developing its younger cast and crew members. “Giving the opportunity for emerging artists like Shannon [Haegler] to do their thing on on stage is really rewarding,” Ross says. “To see him take that opportunity and really relish it is fantastic. He's really passionate about the issues that 'Tequila Mockingbird' deals with, so there is that layer of reward.”
Ross says the ongoing relevance of racism in Australia is why 'Tequila Mockingbird' is returning.
“We're in a really privileged position because a lot of what shake and stir does is for youth audiences. Having that captured audience allows us to bring to the table some issues that we think need to be addressed and questions that need to be posed. We want people in the audience to feel when they are leaving the theatre that it was an entertaining night, but we also trying to get them to engage in conversations about the themes. It's a production that means a great deal to us, and hopefully through theatre we can bring this issue to light.”
'Tequila Mockingbird' Tour Dates
5-15 October – Cremorne Theatre QPAC (Brisbane)18 October – Ipswich Civic Centre
19 October – Empire Theatre (Toowoomba)
20 October – Lake Kawana Community Centre (Sunshine Coast)
22 October – St Brendan's College Performing Arts Centre (Yeppoon)
26 October – Brolga Theatre (Maryborough)
29 October – Mackay Entertainment And Convention Centre
31 October-1 November – Centre Of Contemporary Arts Cairns
