It’s time …to be SEEN and HEARD!
Venue
Christ Church, 9 Chippendall Street, Milton
Duration
75 minutes incl. Q & A
Season:
Wed 12 July, Matinee 12.30 pm (Preview)
Wed 12 July, Evening 6.30 pm (Preview)
Thurs 13 July Evening 7.30 pm (Opening Night)*
Fri 14 July Matinee 12.30 pm
Fri 14 July Evening 7.30 pm
Sat 15 July, Matinee 12.30 pm
Sat 15 July Evening 7.30 pm
Sun 16 July Twilight 5.30 pm (Industry night – limited discounted tickets)
Wed 19 July, Matinee 12.30 pm
Wed 19 July, Evening 7.30 pm
Thurs 20 July, Matinee 12.30 pm
Thurs 20 July Evening 7.30 pm
Fri 21 July Matinee 12.30 pm
Fri 21 July Evening 7.30 pm
Sat 22 July, Matinee 12.30 pm
Sun 23 July Twilight 5.30 pm
*Opening Night tickets are $50 each and include food and drink.
The Australian bush. A timeless world. Three children stumble upon a run-down orphanage. As they play ‘dress-ups’ with the tattered, disused clothing strewn before them, they are transformed, crossing the threshold into a spirit world of the abandoned orphanage. The children become residents of the institution. Under the heartless gaze of governess, Miss Emily Greenant, the changelings try to make sense of daily rituals but are haunted by the lingering voices from times past. To comfort each other, they tell stories and in the telling release the spirits of the orphanage’s trapped, forsaken children, one story at a time.
Evocative and poetic Children of the Black Skirt is a beautifully crafted theatre experience that has enthralled audiences across the country since it was first performed twenty years ago. Stylistically, Children of the Black Skirt is a gothic fairytale and in the classic tradition of Australian Gothic Theatre, it recounts the dislocation of the Australian psyche, its unresolved tensions with its landscape, its bush panic and the stories of its lost children – abandoned, forgotten, stolen.
Written by one of Australia’s leading playwrights, Angela Betzien (Hoods, The Dark Room, ABCs Total Control: Seasons 1 & 2), Children of the Black Skirt weaves real stories into a powerful theatrical world that is at once poignant and deeply engaging.
‘Impressive, immersive, and emotionally engaging…I was captivated from start to finish… an unforgettable theatrical experience.’
(Audience Member, Preview Performance 2022)
‘Outstanding ensemble physical storytelling… If you have the opportunity a definite must see!’
(Audience Member, Preview Performance 2022)
Cast
The Black Skirt/Harold Horrocks
New One, Tom, Lizzie
Old One, Rosie, Lucy, Ruby
John, Iris
Maggie, Lizzie’s mother
Creatives, Company and Contributors
Lisa Hickey
Malika Savory
Shahnee Hun
