Four short plays by Kevin NemethI
Crapbox NGHis tree-change house is haunted
Early Morning They just want coffee
The Letter A long-lost letter turns up
Good Daughter Some decisions are messier than others
In a World Premiere, short plays Crapbox, Early Morning, The Letter and Good Daughter feature veteran actors Anne Browning, Tom Gutteridge and Peter Houghton – directing each other – at the Explosives Factory, St Kilda, from 28 October to 7 November. Award-winning writer, Kevin Nemeth, has shaped his domestic and everyday material into delicate, profound and gently funny explorations of human nature, exploring the anxieties, absurdities and mysteries of the third act of life.
Set in regional Victoria, Crapbox is narrated by a recently widowed man who has discovered that his ‘tree change’ home is haunted. The tension between his blunt pragmatism and the need to deal with his situation leads him on a surprising journey. In Early Morning, a couple wake too early and are beset by anxieties and paradoxes as they lie in bed – hoping that the other one will get up and make the coffee. The Letter is a bright memory-picture sparked by a long-lost letter, and the final text, Good Daughter is a wry look at the muddy terrain of assisted dying.
Peter Houghton (Westgate, Shakespeare in Love, Three Little Words MTC) is one of Melbourne Theatre’s most beloved treasures, with acting, directing and writing credits across the country and overseas. His creative (and life) partner, Anne Browning (The China Incident) returns to the stage after a decade teaching, and they will both team up with long-term colleague and collaborator, Tom Gutteridge (former Artistic Director, Black Swan State Theatre WA) to bring you four short plays that reveal the rubble of life journeys – negotiations with partners, relationships with children and aging parents, physical challenges – and the rickety but enduring structures that are built from that rubble.
Playwright, Kevin Nemeth – winner of five Australian Writers’ Guild Awards – lives near Castlemaine and draws much material and inspiration from his location. He has shaped his domestic and everyday material into delicate, profound and gently funny explorations of human nature. Early Morning was the Theatre Script Prize Winner of the 2023 Lane Cove Literary Awards.
Tom Gutteridge says “I can’t wait to get into the rehearsal room with Pete and Annie! I’m excited for Annie to direct me in Crapbox – and then to direct two of the sharpest, funniest actors around in the other plays is a dream. We’re also super excited to work with two fantastic young creatives so it won’t be just senior citizens in the room. Harrie Hogan will be designing lighting and providing overall visual guidance, and Ethan Hunter will be composing and designing sound”
October 28 – November 7
