鈥楤ECOME THE ONE鈥� Comes To Riverside May 19
Image: Image: Jodie Hutchinson
Winner of the 2018 Playtime Award for New Writing, Become The One, from playwright Adam Fawcett, repositions the typical 鈥渃loseted sportsman鈥� narrative by asking audiences: What if it was the partner, not the athlete, that became the driving force behind dismantling the heteronormativity of Australia鈥檚 national sport? What might they 鈥� and that journey 鈥� look like?
Through the outstanding performances from Chris Asimos (State Theatre Company of South Australia鈥檚聽A View from the Bridge, ABC鈥檚聽Miss Fisher鈥檚 Murder Mysteries) and Mason Gasowski (The Australian Shakespeare Company鈥檚聽Wind in the Willows) Become The One, explores the true meaning of bravery and what it might take to do the right thing 鈥� as a lover, as a high-profile sportsman, as a human being 鈥� to become the one.
Fawcett believes it鈥檚 鈥渁 worthwhile exercise for us to reflect on why our elite male athletes do not feel comfortable enough to live openly, and聽perhaps how things like toxic聽masculinity聽feed into this, and how all that feeds right down to the grassroots of sport and community.聽We also hardly see romantic queer dramedies on main stages 鈥� this really is a celebration of聽difference聽that I hope audiences will embrace.鈥�
Fawcett continued, 鈥淚鈥檇 love audiences to just think about the issues expressed in the play and how maybe we are all – in some capacity – contributing to the problem by trying to police things like sexuality and gender, which we are even seeing play out in the current election to the detriment of our trans kids.鈥�
Wanted to Write Something That Would Have Made His 15-Year-Old Self Feel Seen
Growing up queer in the 90s in Gippsland, Victoria, Fawcett wanted to write something that would have made his fifteen-year-old self feel聽seen聽and聽heard.
He explained, 鈥�I left school聽during聽year ten due to bullying, and there wasn鈥檛 much for kids like me to engage with unless you wanted to play footy or cricket!. I鈥檝e also had feedback from聽teenagers聽during the course of this tour that has also been their experience.鈥澛�
Through Fawcett鈥檚 clever writing and stage direction of four-time Green Room Award nominee Lyall Brooks, Become The One, acts as an invitation for audiences to return to live performances and be entertained together.聽聽
鈥淪paces like Riverside Parramatta are so vital to creating safe community spaces for people to come and experience live art, and it鈥檚聽such a special thing to be sitting in an audience and experiencing a story together. It鈥檚 been tough for artists over the past couple of years because we haven鈥檛 been able to enjoy that connection with聽community, so come along and enjoy a great night out – I promise you won鈥檛 be disappointed,鈥� he said.
VENUE 鈥� Riverside Parramatta – Lennox Theatre
DATES- 19 May – 21 May 2022
