FAIRLY LUCID PRODUCTIONS
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FAIRLY LUCID PRODUCTIONS
Observe. Think. Discuss.

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL

Thursday 8 May 7pm
Friday 9 May 7pm
Sat 10 May 6.30pm
Sun 11 May 2.30pm

The Marsh Studio
1062 Valencia St, SF, CA 94110

 

A gripping tale of brutality and brokenness, exploring the devastating impact of Sydney's gay hate crimes during the 1970s to 1990s. Written and performed by Ben Noble, the play follows Corey, a father grappling with his own homophobia, whose journey into a gang targeting gay men exposes the darkest corners of societal prejudice. Accompanied by a musician on stage, this raw and powerful production unearths the complexities of hatred and humanity with unflinching honesty.

ARCH & BRUCE BROWN PLAYWRIGHTING AWARD FOR BEST PLAY
OFF FEST AWARD UK NOMINATION Best Production
LONGLISTED FOR THE BRIGHTON FRINGE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

CAST

 

Ben Noble

Ben is a queer disabled Australian based actor, writer, creative producer and teacher. He is the founder of Fairly Lucid Productions.

Ben received his Masters from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and studied at RADA (UK), Atlantic Theater Company Acting School (USA), Brave Studios & 16th Street Actors Studio (AUS).

Theatre highlights include: Playlist 21 (Red Stitch Actors Theatre) The Campaign (Gavin Roach Productions), Doctor Faustus, Little Light (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), As You like It (Shakespeare’s Globe) Two Gentlemen of Verona (RADA), Bed & Breakfast, MEMBER, Raton Laveur, Something From Nothing, interrogation (Fairly Lucid Productions), Wind in the Willows (Australian Shakespeare Company), The Subtle Art of Falling (Tunks Productions) Scrooge (Stage West Canada), Phaedra’s Love (Abstract Chaos), One Last (SummerWorks).

Film & TV highlights: Underbelly (Screentime Australia), Quiz (Nobull Productions), BJ Fletcher Private Eye (Bee Charmer Productions).

As the writer, Ben received the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation Playwrighting Award for MEMBER and St Martins Best Play Award (Short Trip - Winner, Pick A Card – 3rd Prize, Go, Fish - Finalist).

 
 
 

PAST PERFORMANCES

A woman in a strapless, gold sequinned dress with a big frilly skirt sits up in a coffin wearing a pink party hat and blowing a party favour trumpet like she is smoking a cigarette. Behind her is a rainbow metallic curtain on a pink background
 
 

A striking new comedy about death and grief.

After 20 years, Fairly Lucid Productions has gone back to where they started - Melbourne Fringe Festival. And we are so excited to bring you our biggest and personal show yet!

In an exciting new play about grief and death, we confront life's hardest topic – the end – with humour and heart.

For six months, writer Ben Noble thought he was about to die. Waiting for signs of the end and grappling with what it meant to live with an expiry date. As a result he and the company decided to talk to people about death and grief. Using these interviews as a springboard, a charming, humourous, silly comedy emerged, exploring mortality and what we leave behind. Blending music, storytelling, autofiction and audience participation, this is a theatre experiment you want to be a part of.

Join us for a profound, thought-provoking and hilarious exploration.

If you’re gonna die - might as well laugh about it!

This development of this project was initially supported by the Maribyrnong City Council's Art Residency program.

 
 

  • Festival Hub: Trades Hall – The Square
    Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton

    Accessible

  • Preview
    Wed 2 Oct 7.15pm

    Opening Night
    Thu 3 Oct 7.15pm

    Shows
    Fri 4 Oct 7.15pm
    Sat 5 Oct 3.30pm
    Sat 5 Oct 7.15pm
    Sun 6 Oct 6.15pm

    Duration:  75 mins

  • Full $45-$39
    Concession $39 - $33
    Preview $25

 
 
 

THE COMPANY

Directed by Krystalla Pearce
Written by Ben Noble
Co-created by Lee McClenaghan, Ben Noble, Sarah Ranken & Katie Smith
Design - Set & Costumes Samantha Hastings
Design - Lighting Natalia Velasco Moreno
Musical Director Juleiaah Boehm Koren
Produced by Danielle Goder
Stage Managed by Alessandra Alessio

Cast
Amanda Armstrong, Kate Foster, Cassandra Hart, Mark Hennessy, Sophie Lampel, Lee McClenaghan, Ben Noble, Sarah Ranken, Esther Rivers & Carly Wilding

Band
Juleiaah Boehm Koren, Keeran Ramasamy, Atari Livingston & Carly Wilding

THE COMPANY BIOS

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

 

PAST PRODUCTIONS

 
Image by

Image Credit: Cameron Speirs

UK PREMIERE

A Fairly Lucid Production
Written by Ben Noble
Music Composed by Simone Seales
Additional Words by Ro Bright, Meg Courtney, Björn Deigner,  Dan Giovannoni, Elise Esther Hearst & Finegan Kruckemeyer
Directed by David Wood
Lighting by Katharine Williams
Set & Costumes by Ryan Webster
Stage Managed by Finley Dickens

Performed by Ben Noble & Simone Seales

NOMINATED FOR AN OFF FEST AWARD

LONGLISTED FOR THE BRIGHTON FRINGE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE


GILDED BALLOON, TEVIOT, WEE ROOM
13 Bristo Pl, Edinburgh EH8 9AJ

Aug 2-27, 2023
14:00 (not 15)

60 mins

Image by Luke Cadden

REVIEWS

★★★★★ a work of art and perfection

READ THE FULL REVIEW: THEATRE AND ARTS REVIEWS

★★★★★ Disturbing and Compelling

READ THE FULL REVIEW: THE REVIEWS HUB

★★★★★ a demanding piece of theatre

READ THE FULL REVIEW: THE BRIG NEWSPAPER

★★★★ an enrapturing performance

READ THE FULL REVIEW: CORR BLIMEY

★★★★ uncompromising, urgent and vital

READ THE FULL REVIEW: THE QUEER REVIEW

★★★ MEMBER is transportive, devastating. It tackles a horrific phenomenon with elegance and sensitivity, and is to be highly recommended

READ THE FULL REVIEW: THE SCOTSMAN

★★★ MEMBER weaves a gripping tale of brutality and brokenness

READ THE FULL REVIEW: FEST MAG

a searing drama… great writing and performances

READ THE FULL REVIEW: THEATRE TRAVELS

“★★★★
Noble elevates this simplest of theatrical forms, the one man show, to an art that is hard to beat”
— Suzy goes see

Everything is great for Corey.
He loves his wife.
He’s learning to talk to his son.
He got promoted at work.
Life couldn’t be better.

But when Corey’s sitting at his son’s hospital bed, everything he used to rely is about to be taken away. Deeply buried secrets bubble to the surface when no one’s looking and history will repeat itself.

Based on the gay hate crime epidemic that blighted Sydney’s coastline throughout the 1970s and 1990s, resulting in as many as 80 murders and 30 unsolved cases, this one-man show presents a gruesome Australian history lesson.

PLEASE NOTE: This production contains distressing or potentially triggering themes, Scenes of violence, Strong language/swearing
 

ARCH & BRUCE BROWN AWARD WINNER FOR BEST PLAY

NOMINATED FOR A MELBOURNE GREEN ROOM AWARD
 

READ THE PROGRAM

“★★★★★
Provocative, Punchy and Powerful.
An incredibly important work”
— Weekend notes

The first production of MEMBER premiered onJan 19, 2016 at La Mama, in Carlton Australia.
Directed by Casey Gould. Designed by Jacob Battista. Lighting by Lisa Mibus. Sound by Coleman Grehan. Stage Managed by Daniel Barca
Performed by Ben Noble

Image by Luke Cadden

Image by Luke Cadden

CAST 

Ben Noble

(he/him)

Ben is a queer disabled Australian based actor, writer, creative producer and teacher. He is the founder of Fairly Lucid Productions.

Ben received his Masters from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and studied at RADA (UK), Atlantic Theater Company Acting School (USA), Brave Studios & 16th Street Actors Studio (AUS).

Theatre highlights include: Playlist 21 (Red Stitch Actors Theatre) The Campaign (Gavin Roach Productions), Doctor Faustus, Little Light (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), As You like It (Shakespeare’s Globe) Two Gentlemen of Verona (RADA), Bed & Breakfast, MEMBER, Raton Laveur, Something From Nothing, interrogation (Fairly Lucid Productions), Wind in the Willows (Australian Shakespeare Company), The Subtle Art of Falling (Tunks Productions) Scrooge (Stage West Canada), Phaedra’s Love (Abstract Chaos), One Last (SummerWorks).

Film & TV highlights: Underbelly (Screentime Australia), Quiz (Nobull Productions), BJ Fletcher Private Eye (Bee Charmer Productions).

As the writer, Ben received an Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation Playwrighting Award for MEMBER and St Martins Best Play Award (Short Trip - Winner, Pick A Card – 3rd Prize, Go, Fish - Finalist).

(AUS)

Follow Ben on Instagram

Simone Seales

(they/them)

Music Composer & Performer

Originally from Florida, Simone Seales is a Glasgow-based cellist who completed their postgraduate studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2021. They focus on free improvisation (both tonal and atonal) and devising music for theatre. Simone is currently the Young Artist in Residence for Chamber Music Scotland, a recipient of the Sphinx MPower Grant, and they are the co-artistic director of ‘demo theatre collective’. Recently, they have appeared on tour with RashDash Theatre in ‘Oh Mother’, in the Edinburgh Arts Festival as part of Thulani Rachia’s piece ‘obuyile’; DanceBase’s SnowMotion showcase and Hidden Door Festival alongside dancer Taylor Han in the dance-theatre piece ‘With Catastrophic Consequences’; the Fringe Festival as part of the Pianodrome Sessions; they performed a solo set interpreting poetry into music at The Great Western Festival; a COP26 Fringe Event at the Glasgow Cathedral performing a contemporary interpretation of Vivaldi’s Four-Seasons, led by Sarah Wagner; they hosted a Juneteenth Event at the Alchemy Experiment which celebrated Black Women’s Joy

(US/UK)

Follow Simone on Instagram

THE TEAM

David Wood

(he/him)

Director

David is a Glasgow-based theatre-maker, a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and a recipient of the Dewar Arts Award. Directing credits include: Untitled 2009 (Queen Jesus Productions), Member (Fairly Lucid Productions) Last Orders (Overlap Theatre) & A Beginner’s Guide to Populism (NoLogo Productions). Rehearsal director credits include: A Ladder to the Stars & The Hidden (Visible Fictions) and Channeling Jabez (Play, Pie and Pint). His solo show, IV Effigy, exploring being a queer ,medically-created, only-child is currently in development.

 

Ryan Webster

(he/him)

Set & Costume Designer

Ryan Webster is a Queer, Neurodivergent Set and Costume Designer and creative who trained at Middlesex University, London– to whom he would like to extend a special thankyou to the tutors & staff for their support and guidance to this point.

Credits Include: -
As Designer: - Mermaid (Theatre 503, Battersea); My Sister is Missing (Kings Head Theatre, Islington); A Murmuration of Starlings (Middlesex University, Hendon); The Ant Experiment (Camden Peoples Theatre, Camden); Five Guys Named Moe (Ovation Productions, Upstairs at The Gatehouse, Highgate); OUT, Hope for Holloway and Making Home (Mountview MA Site Specific Performance, HMP HOLLOWAY); Death Steps Back (Mountview MA Site Specific Performance, HMP HOLLOWAY); Greenland (The Grove Studios, Hendon).

As Associate Designer: - Bacon (Riverside studios London, Edinburgh Fringe, Bristol Old Vic London), Grindr The Opera (Design Assistant, The Union Theatre, Southwark); Nul Points (Design Assistant, The Union Theatre, Southwark); ANIMAL (Assistant Designer, Hope Mill Theatre Manchester, Tobacco Factory Bristol, The Park Theatre London) Much Ado About Nothing (Design Assistant, Duke of York’s Theatre, London); Providencia – Electric Picnic (Scenic Assistant/ Set Dresser, Stradbally Hall, Ireland); UNCHAIN ME (Scenic Assistant, DREAMTHINKSPEAK, Brighton Festival).

Other Credits Include: Umm Kulthum and the Golden Era (Head Of Wardrobe, Ithra theatre, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia); From Here to Eternity (ASM & Wardrobe, Aria Entertainment, Charring Cross Theatre); Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Stage Crew, The Aldwych Theatre, London); West Side Story (Draughtsperson, Jason Denvir, Festival Ljubljana, Slovenia); Casual Technician (Wilton’s Music Hall, Shadwell); Casual Technician (OPEN, Ealing); Scenic Painter (Brick Lane Music Hall, Woolwich)

Instagram: @Rwebsterdesign
Twitter: @Rwebsterdesign
Website: www.rwebsterdesign.Com

Katharine Williams

(they/them)

Lighting Designer

Katharine Williams is a lighting designer, writer, and leader of projects.

Their recent lighting designs for theatre include: The Doncastrian Chalk Circle for National Theatre Public Acts at CAST Doncaster; Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Leeds Playhouse and HOME, Manchester; Oh Mother, Look at Me, Don’t Look at Me and Two Man Show for RashDash; Drag Me To Love for Bonnie and the Bonnettes, and The Enemy for the National Theatre of Scotland.

Projects include Love Letters to the Home Office, which used art, words, and theatre to campaign against the UK’s immigration policy; Crew for Calais, which mobilised people in creative industries to work with refugees; and People Powered, which lent support to the NHS and frontline services during the early part of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Katharine Williams directed and lit These Hills Are Ours on UK tour. Their plays as a writer include Walk with Me at VAULT Festival; and These Are Our Neighbours in Glasgow Southside.

Finley Dickins

(they/them)

Stage Manager

Finley is a stage manager and technician based in Glasgow.

Credits include:

Technical Stage Manager, Sex Education Xplorers (Independent Arts Projects);

Technician, Super Special Disability Roadshow;

Associate Production Manager, Don't. Make. Tea. (Birds of Paradise);

Technical Operator, Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas (Lyric Hammersmith);

Stage Manager, God's Only Child development;

Stage Manager, Queen Jesus mini-season (Queen Jesus Productions);

Company Stage Manager, PUBLIC (Ockham's Razor).

 

 
 
 
 

Production Stills from 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival production. Images credited to Cameron Speirs. Promo photos underwater credits to Luke Cadden.

NOMINATED FOR A GREEN ROOM AWARD - 2022


 BED & BREAKFAST

BY MARK CRAWFORD

DIRECTED BY TOM HEALEY

 
“I daresay that this is one of the best things I have seen on stage and is one that I will never forget.”
— LILITHIA REVIEWS

Image by Cameron Grant, Parenthesy

A heartfelt comedy about “being out,”
skeletons in the closet, and finding a place to call home.


September 7-18

THIS IS A PAST EVENT

Wednesday 7 September 8pm - Preview
Thursday 8 September 8pm - Opening Night
Friday 9 September 8pm
Saturday 10 September 2pm & 8pm
Sunday 11 September 6pm

Thursday 15 September 8pm
Friday 16 September 8pm
Saturday 17 September 8pm
Sunday 18 September 6pm

$45 Full, $35 Concession/Groups, $30 Preview

available via chapeloffchapel.com.au

When Brett and Drew unexpectedly inherit a historic family home in a quiet little tourist town, the couple decides to make the move and start up a B & B. But when the guys face friction in their new community, they discover the simple life is more complicated than they thought. 

 With dozens of characters—all portrayed by two actors, Bed and Breakfast is a theatrical tour de force. As riotously funny as it is deeply moving, this is a heartfelt comedy about “being out” in small town Australia, skeletons in the closet, and finding a place to call home. 

Cast Alex Thew & Ben Noble

Director Tom Healey 
Writer  Mark Crawford 
Set & Costumes Sam Diamond 
Lighting Bronwyn Pringle 
Stage Manager Lee McClenaghan 
Producer Sarah Ranken, Fairly Lucid Productions

Images by Cameron Grant, Parenthesy 

PROGRAM

 

QUOTES FROM PREVIOUS PRODUCTIONS

 

★★★★

“See this! You must see this!”
— 3mbs Kate Herbert
“Noble & Thew are at the top of their game”
— The Blurb
“Get your tickets! Heart-wrenching, hysterically funny and frenetic. It is mastery”
— 3MDR Michelle Perera

CAST & CREW

 
 

ALEX THEW - CAST

Graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2016, Alex Thew is a Melbourne based Actor and Artist. Alex’s recent theatre credits include Love You Bitch (Theatreworks), Truly Madly Britney (Theatreworks); Two sellout seasons of Lou Wall’s Drag Race (Melbourne Fringe/The Griffin Theatre); Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (VCA) and HOLT! Who goes there? (Melbourne Fringe). In 2018 they were nominated for Best Performance and won Best Emerging Artist (Melbourne Fringe). Alex also performs drag under the name Copper Feel.

@copper_feel

 
 

BEN NOBLE - CAST & CREATIVE PRODUCER

He is the founder and creative producer of Fairly Lucid Productions.  

Ben received his Masters from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and studied at RADA, Atlantic Theater Company Acting School, Brave Studios & 16th Street. 

Theatre highlights include: Playlist 21 (Red Stitch Actors Theatre) The Campaign (Gavin Roach), Doctor Faustus, Little Light (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), As You like It (Shakespeare’s Globe) Two Gentlemen of Verona (RADA), MEMBER, Raton Laveur, Something From Nothing, interrogation (Fairly Lucid Productions), Wind in the Willows (Australian Shakespeare Company), The Subtle Art of Falling (Tunks Productions) Scrooge (Stage West Canada), Phaedra’s Love (Abstract Chaos), One Last (SummerWorks).  Film & TV highlights: Underbelly (Channel 9), Quiz (Nobull Productions), BJ Fletcher Private Eye (Bee Charmer Productions). 

As the writer, Ben received the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation Playwrighting Award for MEMBER and St Martins Best Play Award (Short Trip - Winner, Pick A Card – 3rd Prize, Go, Fish - Finalist).  

@bennobleofficial 

 
 

MARK CRAWFORD - PLAYWRIGHT

Mark Crawford is one of Canada’s most popular playwrights. His work has been produced across Canada and internationally. He is the author of Stag and Doe; Bed and Breakfast; The Birds and the Bees; Boys, Girls, and Other Mythological Creatures; The New Canadian Curling Club; and a solo show, Chase the Ace, which premiered and toured in 2021. Also an actor, Mark has performed at theatres from coast to coast, and is currently appearing in the Canadian premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. He has been short-listed for the Tom Hendry Awards, the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, and nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award. Mark grew up on his family’s beef farm, studied at University of Toronto and Sheridan College, and now lives with his partner in Stratford, Ontario.

 
 

TOM HEALEY - DIRECTOR

Tom graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1989. Over the last thirty years he has worked as a director, a dramaturg and an actor for theatre companies around the nation. His previous productions include: American Song - national tour-, Jumpers for Goalposts and The Shape of Things - national tour - (Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre); Heisenberg (MTC); The Kid (Griffin); The Spook (Malthouse Theatre); Elegy, The Sign of the Seahorse, Ancient Enmity, Insouciance, The Fat Boy and Falling Petals (Playbox); Let’s Get it On (Room 8); Doris Day – So Much More Than the Girl Next Door (Boldjack); Disarming Rosetta and Inside Out (Hothouse Theatre); Good Evening (Token) with Sean Micallef and Stephen Curry; The Man In Black (Folsom Prison Productions); Eddie Perfect’s solo shows, Drink Pepsi, Bitch (Malthouse Theatre and tour); and Angry Eddie (Chapel Off Chapel). Tom is currently the Associate Dramaturg at Red Stitch. Previous positions include Head of Acting and Directing at Flinders Drama Centre, Literary Manager at the Australian Script Centre, Artistic Director of the Australian National Playwrights’ Conference and Artistic Associate at Playbox. He has been a proud member of the MEAA since 1989.

 
 

SAM DIAMOND - PRODUCTION DESIGN

Raised in Boorloo/Perth, Sam is a Naarm/Melbourne based set, costume and lighting designer. He is a graduate of the Master of Design for Performance (VCA) and holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design (Architecture) from the University of Western Australia. Sam is the 2022 Graduate Designer for Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre and was the recipient of the 2019 Orloff Family Charitable Trust Scholarship for excellence in production. Projects include Caught – Assistant lighting design (Red Stitch 2022), Darling Boy – Lighting design (The Butterfly Club 2022), PASH - Set Design (Seemingly Wholesome Productions / MICF 2022), Sowing Seeds – Set & costume design (Gasworks 2022), Earthquakes in London – Set Design (VCA Acting Company 2020/21), HYDRA – Lighting intern (Double Water Sign / Darebin Arts, 2021), Abyss – Set, costume, lighting design (Independent Directors Project, VCA 2020), SWAG – Co-designer (2019 Prague Quadrennial – Australian Students Exhibit), On The Town – Associate lighting designer (VCA Music Theatre Company, 2019).

 
 

BROWNYN PRINGLE - LIGHTING DESIGN

Bronwyn Pringle is a lighting designer and theatre maker who has spent the past 25+ years lighting everything from large festivals to strange theatrical experiments in venues that include The Princess Theatre, a London West End Nightclub, a warehouse in Buenos Aires, the Federation Square air-conditioning ducts and a wool-shed in Glencoe. Bronwyn received the 2020 Green Room Award for technical achievement, as well as Green Room Awards for alias Grace (Malthouse Theatre) and Letters from Animals (Here Theatre/SRWT) and two Melbourne Fringe Festival Design Collaboration awards.

 
 

LEE MCCLENAGHAN - STAGE MANAGER

Lee has been a production runner and chaperone for the ABC, hosted an interview based program Behind The Words (C31) and played Helene McKenzie in the drama/comedy series Under The Milky Way (C31), which earned her an award for ‘Best Actor in a Narrative Drama, Comedy or Sketch’ for the 2019 Antenna Awards. She has studied under Wendy Ward, performing as part of the Ward Theatre Company and at The Melbourne Actor’s Lab. With Choo Choo Productions she co-produced, co-directed and featured in a trilogy of short films. The first in the trilogy Half of Me had its premiere screening at the 2019 St Kilda Film Festival, made official selection into the Rome Film Awards, Moscow Shorts and London Independent Film Awards, where it won Lee a ‘Best Actress’ Award. All of Me, the third in the trilogy, which she directed, premiered at Lorne Film 2019 and all three films were selected to screen together in the online programming of the Geelong International Film Festival 2020 and Sydney World Film Festival 2021. Lee has been an ensemble member of Girls Act Good since 2014. She co-produced and directed their immersive theatre and short feature The Association which was a part of the AACTA Social Shorts and wrote and performed her own episode in their web series Last Breath.

 
 

Images by Cameron Grant, Parenthesy

 

DOWNLOADABLES

 
 

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

Raton Laveur

By Amos Crawley, David Patrick Flemming
& Caitlin Stewart

RATON-1080x1080px D01.jpg

Phil and Lily have moved to Toronto from Australia to pursue Lily's dreams.

Phil, finding himself at loose ends, becomes obsessed with the nest of raccoons living behind the crêperie where he works. As Phil descends deeper into paranoia things take a violent turn, and Lily is left cleaning up the mess.

Raton Laveur is a comedy about love, relationships, and knives that cut through bone.

"devastatingly on point portrayal of a crumbling relationship; hilarious, gory & every kind of disturbing." 
★★★★★
FRINGE BISCUIT
"unique, dark and evocative"
BROADWAY BABY
"A brilliant concept with talented actors"
YOUNG PERSPECTIVE

 

3-27 August (not 16) 
14:30 pm
Assembly Roxy Downstairs
Edinburgh Fringe Festival

“Blood-drippingly marvellous!
★★★★”
— rip it up magazine
IMAGE CREDIT:  LUKE CADDEN

IMAGE CREDIT:  LUKE CADDEN

“Comedies don’t get much blacker than this.
★★★★”
— Advertiser, Adelaide.

CAST & CREW

ben noble - phil

Ben’s acting credits include MEMBER (Sydney Mardi Gras Arts Festival),The Subtle Art Of Flirting (Tunks Productions),  Wind In The Willows (Australian Shakespeare Company), As You Like It  (Spark), Raton Laveur (Fairly Lucid Productions), One Last (Summerworks), Scrooge (Stage West Canada) Phaedra’s Love (Controlled Chaos), BJ Fletcher Private Eye (Bee Charmer Productions) and Fat Tony & Co (Screentime Australia).
Ben's first play won 3rd prize in the St Martins Playwriting Competition, his commissioned piece Short Trip part of the Scattergun Project, took out St Martin's Best Play.   His follow up, Go, Fish was short listed for Play of the Year in 2005. He has been a guest speaker with the Melbourne Writers Festival, and was a co-writer and dramaturge at Riverland Theatre Company with HOONS, performed at Adelaide Fringe Festival.  Ben also teaches acting to students aged 9-20.  He is the Creative Producer of Fairly Lucid Productions.
 

Alice bishop - director

Alice began her career as an actor and has worked across a variety of disciplines as a singer, comedian, producer, musician, writer, costume and production designer for television, film and theatre. These days she divides her time between directing and writing. Alice has freelanced as a director with many of Melbourne’s theatre companies and arts organisations, as well as designing television sketch comedy, video clips and commercials.

As a director / animateur her particular focus and passion is developing and building work in collaboration with other artists. She is at the helm of two Melbourne independent theatre companies – le poulet terrible and ITCH Productions. Recent productions include: Roberto Zucco, The Doctor (in spite of himself), The Ruffian on the Stair and Nil, Cat & Buried, all with le poulet terrible, as well as Vieux Carré, The Butterfly Catcher, and Catalpa (Greenroom nomination for Best Director), with ITCH Productions.

 
 
 

jacob battista - set & costumes

Jacob is a Melbourne based theatre designer and practitioner. He has completed a Bachelor of Production at the VCA. Some of his design credits include, True West (Set and Costumes) – Matchstick; You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Set) and Bad Jews (Set) – Vass Theatre Group; Songs for a New World (Set and Costumes) - Blue Saint; MEMBER (Set and Costumes) – Fairly Lucid; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune (Set) – Collette Mann/45DS; The Lonely Wolf (Set) – Dirty Pretty Theatre/MTC Neon; Therese Raquin (Set) - Dirty Pretty Theatre; Avenue Q – The Musical (Set and Costumes) – Trifle Theatre; Carrie The Musical (Set and Costumes)– Ghost Light; Love, Love, Love (Set), Jumpers for Goalposts (Set and Costumes), Belleville (Set and Costumes) and Out Of The Water (Set)  – Red Stitch.

Wendy Bos bw.jpg

wendy bos - lily

In addition to being a highly sought after Voice-over Artist for Radio and Television, Wendy has appeared ‘on screen’ in McLeod’s Daughters, Hawke and most recently in Neighbours. In theatre, Wendy is best known for her award winning work with the highly innovative Floogle Theatre Company based in South Australia. She was nominated for an Oscart and received an Horatio Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Ruth in Pinter’s The Homecoming. Wendy’s other theatre credits include Euripides’ Helen, Don’s Party, and Total Strangers for the State Theatre Company of South Australia’s Young Guns project. She has played Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and Viola in Twelfth Night for the Adelaide University Theatre Guild and Rosalind in As You Like It for Spark Productions. Wendy also portrayed The Dominatrix in the award winning feature film, The Wedding Party.

Georgia rann - lighting designer/production manager

Upon receiving her diploma of live production, theatre and events in 2011 Georgia Rann has continued to develop creatively within the art of theatre based lighting design & production. Her Australian lighting and stage credits include collaborations with companies such as Stork productions, Fairly Lucid productions (Raton Laveur, The Reckoning, Member), Travis Cotton’s Robots Vs Art, Chamber made opera (The Minotaur trilogy, Turbulence, Opera for a small mammal & Opera therapea) as well as running numerous venues in festivals & fringes nation wide. She is active as a freelance and collaborative designer & creative producer in commissioned public art, botanic instillation and living sculptures. Her interests conscious design as well as repurposing objects & waste unfold in projects such as sustainable building, set design and sculpture. http://www.giorgiastefania.com . 

OTHER SHOWS

THE RECKONING

 

ADELAIDE FRINGE DEVELOPMENT SEASON
SHORTLISTED FOR MIDSUMMA FESTIVAL & GASWORKS PLAYTIME DEVELOPMENT GRANT

IMAGE BY NAOMI O'CALLAGHAN

IMAGE BY NAOMI O'CALLAGHAN

In the 1980s Manly’s North Head was a well-known location for young men to commit suicide.  Now we question whether it was actually a haven for gay hate crime. Loosely based on the story of American man, Scott Johnson, whose tragic death at the NSW beach destination hit the headlines in 1988, this new work explores the characters that centre around the issue of a gay hate crime and investigates whether society has improved over the years. 
Fairly Lucid Productions commissioned writers, from around the world, to write a monologue each in response to the source material, the case notes, and the media articles.  They serve as a social commentary illustrating that these themes still resonate within today’s homophobic violence.  Three songwriters, have written new music that tell the story of a man’s quest to find love and ultimately himself in his journey which provides the backbone to this new musical theatre work. 
The creative team of writers includes Juleiaah Boehm (AUS), Rochelle Bright (NZ), Meg Courtney (AUS), Bjorn Deigner (DE), Emma Dockery (NZ), Dan Giovannoni (AUS), Andrew Hall (AUS), Elise Hearst (AUS), Finegan Kruckemeyer (AUS), JP Larocque (CAN), Ben Noble (AUS/CAN) & Simone Page Jones (AUS).

Directed by Fiona Blair
Set & Costumes by Jacob Battista
Lighting by Georgia Rann
Music by Juleiaah Boehm
Lyrics by Andrew Hall & Ben Noble
Video Footage by Joel Checkley

Something from Nothing

In Association with TheatreWorks and Cascade Theatre Canada

"Charming and delightful" NOW MAGAZINE, Toronto
"Best Play" for kids.  Theatreisntdead.com (2012 Toronto Fringe Festival)

The story tells of the special relationship between Joseph and his Grandfather as he ‘snips, snips, snips’ his baby blanket into a coat, a vest, a tie, a hanky, and finally a button. One day the button is lost but Joseph realizes there is one more thing he can make….a wonderful story!

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING is an extraordinary re-telling of an old story where both children and adults catch a glimpse of a way of life where simple things bring the greatest joy and the family is the cornerstone of the community.  Blending puppetry, music and pantomime in a production designed for children aged 5-12, the original set and puppets will be flown over from Canada in this "sweet, playful and funny” play.

Cast: Fem Belling, Andrew Doyle & Ben Noble
Produced by: Melanie Velissaris
Story by: Phoebe Gilman
Adapted for the Stage by: Allen Merovitz and Chris Bryde with Jerry Silverberg.
uration: 55mins


 

interrogation

Image by Angie Bird

Image by Angie Bird

by Benjamin Noble
Direction Bryn Jennings
Set & Costumes Laura Gardner
Lighting Design Mike Lewandowski
Sound Design Christopher Sandes
Starring Alex Dallas, Pamela Johnson, Ben Noble, Karie Richards & Vanessa Smythe

A writer, has a case of writers block.  Or so it seems.  Diving between fiction, fantasy and reality, The Man will try his best to tell his story, even when he can’t remember a thing. Mixing in themes of isolation, sex, and mysterious secrets, The Man discovers that the hardest story to write may be his own.

Original Production
Directed by Julie Waddington
Set by Andrew Bellchambers
Video by Geraldine Cahill
Featuring Alison Boyce

 

murder on the dance floor

Designed by Kathleen Phillips

Designed by Kathleen Phillips

A 1950’s prom complete with DJs, photo booths, and canapes.  But a special night is no night without a homicide.  5 Comedians improve their way out of trouble as the audience decides whodunnit.

Into The Fire & One Night Stand
 

Where it all began!

Where it all began!

Into the Fire featured a double bill of Wallpaper by Lucy Stewart & interrogation by Ben Noble.  
One Night Stand was a nightly cabaret night, with experienced and first time performers including Fiona Scott Norman, Andrew Hall & Fiona Hanrahan, Amanda Armstrong & Deb Langley.

We also curated the Melbourne Fringe Season at St Martins 2004.  

 

fairly lucid logo front bums.jpg

 he/r

(or, remember tomorrow when everything was ok)

 

written by eva rees

directed by ruby rees


A Fairly Lucid Production in association with fortyfivedownstairs

18 – 30 January 2022

PREVIEWS

Tuesday 18 January & Wednesday 19 January

OPENING

Thursday 20 January

SEASON

Tuesday to Saturday 7:30pm

Sunday 5pm

DURATION

90 minutes

TICKET PRICE

$30 – $45

BOOKINGS

03 9662 9966

In accordance with government regulations, proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or valid medical exemption will be required for anyone over the age of 16 to enter fortyfivedownstairs.

SYNOPSIS

Isla’s dog is missing. She can hear it down the street. She knows it’s hers. But Isla lies about everything, so Claire…isn’t so sure.

As adolescents Claire and Isla were fixated on each other. Nothing was left unsaid. But a lot has changed since then. If they were in a different reality Claire and Isla would be madly in love. But they’re not. They’re here.

he/r is cutting edge. It asks big questions about self, belonging, and the sickening notion that we should all be woke. her/e is the longing that propels us forward, the analogue sense of solidarity that’s not yet here…and that’s the point.

PLEASE NOTE

This performance contains sexual references and the use of strobe lighting in the production.

COMPANY

eva rees - writer/cast

(she/her)

eva rees, a newly out and proud trans female, originated the now iconic role of Harry Potter’s son, Albus, in the Australian premier of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It was this two-year stint contractually binding her to the wrong end of the binary that drove her to become an artist at the forefront of rewriting the narrative.

While undertaking a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne, double majoring in Islamic studies, English and Theatre Studies, and simultaneously completing a Diploma of Spanish Language, she wrote a new game changing experimental piece of stage art entitled he/r. eva will will make her debut as a playwright in the world premiere of he/r which opens fortyfivedownstairs’ 2022 season.

eva has a vast body of previous work on both stage and screen, that she believes would be hard to find unless you were using her dead name.

ruby rees - director

(she/her)

ruby is a female-identifying multi-disciplinary artist currently storytelling in Naarm, the land of the Kulin Nation. She undertook intensive acting, playwrighting and directing training at the world-renowned Herbert Berghof Studio in New York City. ruby earned her professional writing and editing degree at RMIT University, Melbourne and was the youngest recipient of the National St Martin’s Playwriting Award in 2010 for her first play, Serpents.

She completed a residency at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre Company in 2016. She was commissioned by the company to write and direct an original work for their 10th anniversary season. Upon her return to Australia, ruby directed a series of plays for independent Melbourne companies including Simon Stephens’ Punk Rock at fortyfivedownstairs, which saw a sold-out season and rave reviews. While undertaking her MFA at NIDA, ruby expanded her practice to include theatre-making, devising, and the adaptation of new works. ruby is currently in development with her debut feature film, that will be the first to come out of Australia employing only female- identifying cast, crew and creatives.
http://www.rubyrees.com.au/

stella carroll - cast

(she/her)

stella has worked across the stage and screen from a young age.

In 2021 she completed her formal acting training at 16th Street Actors Studio as well as a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne, majoring in Screen Studies and English.

Currently she is dedicated to honing her craft in regular classes with the Ivana Chubbuck Studio.

carly wilding - set & costume

(she/her)

Carly Wilding is a multidisciplinary artist with a background in acting, music, and visual art. Completing her Bachelor of Arts, Acting in 2016 Carly wrote, performed in, and designed Yours Everlastingly, Fred (La Mama Mobile) in her graduating year. Carly went on to work as an actor and director across several productions with the Australian Shakespeare Company (Olivia, Twelfth Night, The Duchess, Alice in Wonderland, Director - Wind in the Willows Tour) and Melbourne Shakespeare Company (Miranda - The Tempest, Benvolio - Romeo and Juliet.) Most recently, Carly wrote, directed, designed and performed in Bumbles & Moz, a new ‘Caba-play’ written in lockdown. In May 2021, Carly starred in and designed Voyage, a new folk musical which debuted at fortyfivedownstairs. In 2022, Carly will be touring the country’s folk festivals as a singer and instrumentalist both with Voyage, and in new folk-fusion duo Morrigan & Wilding. She will also be directing productions for Bloomsday In Melbourne, including Love’s Bitter Mystery in January. Carly is currently in her bedroom learning to play the harp...Wish her luck?

www.carlywilding.com


imogen cygler - sound

(she/her)

imogen cygler is an emerging contemporary composer and performer. She is an Honours graduate in the Bachelor of Music (Interactive Composition) at the Victorian College of The Arts and was the recipient of the Adolph Spivakovsky Scholarship for Composition of Music in 2020. In 2019 Imogen completed a commission for the Arts Centre Melbourne (5x5x5) and in 2020 for the University of Melbourne’s ‘Multivocal’ exhibition. A keen collaborator, Imogen composes, performs and directs music for live shows and short films. Recent accomplishments include: ’Sweet Dreaming’ for the Melbourne Fringe Festival at the Meat Market; ‘Ascent’ for the Melbourne Fringe Festival at Theatre Works; ‘Lennox: Legend In My Living Room’ at the Melbourne Cabaret Festival; numerous scores for short films including ‘Mwah’ (dir. Nina Buxton) selected for MIFF; Musical Director for ‘Put The Blame On Mame’ at the Melbourne Cabaret Festival and ‘When I Awoke’ at the Butterfly Club.


august shearman - lighting

(she/they)

august is a Naarm based lighting designer and maker. Graduating from the VCA in 2021, she developed an interest in the ways lighting could be incorporated into unexpected and eye-catching places. When not coding or building, august can usually be found knitting or crocheting. Some of their credits include: WAX (VCA dance 2021, associate lighting design), Chapter 7 (VCA dance 2021, vision design), Cloud 9 (VCA 2021), Baccarat (VCA 2020), As You Like It (MUSC 2019), The Little Mermaid (Rockdale Musical Society 2018).

emily tambree - stage manager

(they/them)

emily tambree is a Naarm based, non-binary, multi-hyphenate creative.

emily undertook intensive Musical Theatre training at Centrestage, SHOWFIT & received their Diploma of Music at The Australian Institute of Music.

Despite an impressive body of credits as an actor such as Juliet (Romeo & Juliet), Viola (Twelfth Night), Desdemona (Othello), and Abigail (The Crucible) for Eagles Nest Theatre in educational tours throughout the state, Emily most recently stage-managed the 2021 season of the new Australian Musical - Voyage (fortyfivedownstairs).

It is their dedication to the story itself, and a willingness to serve a work, in whatever capacity, that fuels their passion for new theatre that challenges the norm and champions minority voices

caitie murphy - stage manager

(she/her)
caitie murphy is a multi-skilled, Naarm-based emerging theatre professional from Monash University, specialising in stage management. In 2021, caitie proudly managed three sold-out productions; Love of the Nightingale (the debut of TheatreWork’s ‘Glasshouse’), Ballads & Ballgowns (the debut solo show of Melbourne drag favourite, Isis Avis Loren) and Sevenfold Theatre Company’s Law & Order: PTV at the Butterfly Club.

Most recently caitie has been stage managing and operating for the Vixen shows at Vau d’vile Drag Cabaret. She is currently working on 2022 seasons of Ballads & Ballgowns, Law & Order: PTV and Fool For Love produced by Emma Louise Pursey.
www.caitiemurphysm.com.au

Stills by Russell Williamson

 

he/r downloads

 GIVE US A SQUIZ!

HOSTED BY NIKKI BRITTON

How good is your game?

Start your week right with a little bit of fun and frivolity all in the name of supporting the arts.  Get your friends together and create a table, or make a table with strangers it’s up to you. There are so many prizes to be won and so much fun to be had, that all you need to ask yourself is - are you feeling lucky punk? 

How does it work? 

On arrival, you’ll receive a drink (beer/wine/softdrink), a name badge and can claim your table. We’ll have those tables set up in groups of 4, 6 or even some of 8 if we can manage it! 

There are three rounds. And door prizes. Each round, you can win a prize for the table and if you’re lucky get the door prize! Huzzah! 

Because we like to do things differently we’ll ask you at the start of the night if you’re on the lookout for anyone special. Like a matchmaker or your highschool bestie - if the person you like, likes you back, we’ll let you know. Because we’ve got your back.  

If you’re just here to have fun and play some trivia, then you don’t have to worry about that at all!  

What type of questions will you ask? 

A mixture of general knowledge, arts, theatre & entertainment, sports, history, current affairs and pot luck. 

Prizes 

We have prizes from Comedy Republic, Stomping Ground & Bellboy Café and so many more.  

What’s this for? 

This event is to support Fairly Lucid Productions next theatrical production in 2022 called Bed & Breakfast by Mark Crawford.

 When 

Monday 20th June 6.30pm 
Running Time: 2.5 hours 

Cost

$25 per person (includes a drink) 

MEMBER

Image by Luke Cadden

Image by Luke Cadden

A Fairly Lucid Production
Written & Performed by Ben Noble
Additional Words by Rochelle Bright, Meg Courtney, Bjorn Deigner,  Dan Giovannoni, Elise Hearst & Finegan Kruckemeyer
Directed by Casey Gould
Design by Jacob Battista
Lighting Design by Lisa Mibus
Sound Design by Coleman Grehan
Image by Luke Cadden

 

Everything is great for Corey.
He loves his wife.
He’s learning to talk to his son.
He got promoted at work.
Life couldn’t be better.

But when Corey’s sitting at his son’s hospital bed, everything he used to rely is about to be taken away. Deeply buried secrets bubble to the surface when no one’s looking and history will repeat itself.

Based on the gay hate crime epidemic that blighted Sydney’s coastline throughout the 1970s and 1990s, resulting in as many as 80 murders and 30 unsolved cases, this one-man show presents a gruesome Australian history lesson.

PLEASE NOTE: This production contains material that may upset or disturb.
 

NOMINATED FOR A MELBOURNE GREEN ROOM AWARD


“Noble is exemplary. An important story that needs to be told”
Theatrepress
“a powerful, emotional, thought-provoking and stunningly performed piece of theatre”. 
The Music 
“a solid, effective show. Ben Noble perfectly embodies the everyman” 
The Age
“MEMBER is an… important part of the queer arts. Highly recommended. Ben Noble is captivating” 
The Plus Ones
“Fairly Lucid Productions have a real winner on their hands with Member.  Provocative, Punchy and Powerful.  An incredibly important work” 
Weekend Notes
“the most confronting work of theatre you're likely to see this year - utterly gripping and hypnotic” 
Sydney Scoop
“a powerful indictment of gay hate crimes.  Noble’s performance is compelling and passionate.” 
Theatre Red
“a gripping depiction of tribal behaviour and homophobic violence” 
Eight Days a Week
"so powerful and moving” ★★★★ 1/2
The Buzz from Sydney
Noble “elevates this simplest of theatrical forms, the one man show, to an art that is hard to beat - powerful, dark and urgent” 
Suzy Goes See
"MEMBER might be a tough experience but it’s an informed, well expressed superbly acted production - extraordinary work” 
Sydney Theatre Guide
"spellbinding and speechless and on the edge of my seat” 
2SER.FM
 

“Provocative, Punchy and Powerful.
An incredibly important work”
— Weekend notes
“Noble elevates this simplest of theatrical forms, the one man show, to an art that is hard to beat”
— Suzy goes see

CAST 

Ben Noble BW copy.jpg

ben noble - writer/actor

Ben’s acting credits include MEMBER (Sydney Mardi Gras Arts Festival),The Subtle Art Of Flirting (Tunks Productions),  Wind In The Willows (Australian Shakespeare Company), As You Like It  (Spark), Raton Laveur (Fairly Lucid Productions), One Last (Summerworks), Scrooge (Stage West Canada) Phaedra’s Love (Controlled Chaos), BJ Fletcher Private Eye (Bee Charmer Productions) and Fat Tony & Co (Screentime Australia).
Ben's first play won 3rd prize in the St Martins Playwriting Competition, his commissioned piece Short Trip part of the Scattergun Project, took out St Martin's Best Play.   His follow up, Go, Fish was short listed for Play of the Year in 2005. He has been a guest speaker with the Melbourne Writers Festival, and was a co-writer and dramaturge at Riverland Theatre Company with HOONS, performed at Adelaide Fringe Festival.  Ben also teaches acting to students aged 9-20.  He is the Creative Producer of Fairly Lucid Productions.
 

 

DOWNLOAD 2017 SYDNEY SEASON PROGRAM

Production Stills by Deryk McAlpine.  

 

Raton Laveur

MELBOURNE SHOWINGS

Before we go off to Edinburgh we are going to do a showing of our production.  We will also use it as our last fundraiser to help go towards extra costs for the show.  There are two options

 
 

FOOTSCRAY COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE, BASEMENT THEATRE
FULL TECH & DRESS REHEARSAL
TIX $25

ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE, THE KILN
LAST PRE EDINBURGH SHOWING
TIX $15