FRED @ Fringe Update #15
From the Director…
Ryan Stewart and Phillip Hunting explore Christian faith and marriage equality in this improvisation workshop.
If I use the metaphor of a race, I would be tempted to say that the finish line is in sight. But it would not be true.
Even though it will not be long until our audience takes a seat in the beautiful Gasworks Theatre and watches a story unfold for seventy-five or so minutes, the marathon that has brought cast and crew to that point will not be over. There are reflections, self-critiques, and feedback to consider. There is also no certainty that Michael and Phillip Are Getting Married in the Morning will no longer be relevant to the Australian political landscape we find ourselves in.
Yes, we hope that everyone watching the play will engage in an evening of laughs, tension, and an expression of love, but there is a sentiment and desire among those of us working on it that the story and characters will resonate a little while after the curtain call.
David McNamara rehearsing a pivotal scene.
Although it may seem otherwise, we are not here to preach anything. The expectation that anyone paying their hard-earned money to watch a play about two men getting married in an imagined (and, perhaps, near) future are already supporters of marriage equality. (Then again, an artist would be foolish to assume anything about their audience.)
I do think, however, that we have been working on something special; a time capsule piece that both did and did not have to be written. I suppose we will let our audience decide as we keep on running after that curtain call.
In the meantime, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And of course, feel free to explore FREDtheALIENproductions.com for the latest on Michael and Phillip Are Getting Married in the Morning.
Wayne Stellini is an executive member of the FRED the ALIEN Productions team. He has written and directed episodes of UNI-Bums, and produced FRED’s stage debut, The Writer, in 2016.
FRED the ALIEN Productions 