Set in Marlborough House, it is 1936, and the English monarchy is facing its greatest crisis in 400 years. The new king, Edward, is determined to marry the twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson, against the wishes of the Parliament, the Church and the English people. For his mother, Queen Mary, the prospect of a king abdicating his throne is too terrible to contemplate. Royce Ryton’s sensitive drama tells the story of the family at the very centre of the historic events – a family almost torn apart by the struggle between public duty and private love, leading up to the constitutional crisis and abdication of Edward VIII.
VDL Awards Entries 2020
Entries are open for 2020.
Fool for Love
Strathmore Theatre Arts Group
20 Feb 2020 - 29 Feb 2020
A dark story about two former lovers who reunite in a cheap hotel room in the Mojave Desert. Eddie is a transient presence in and out of May’s life and together they represent a co-dependent, toxic yet magnetic pair sorting through the emotional tumult of their lives in a constant power struggle. The old man contributes to their story from an insider’s perspective while Martin witnesses the story unfold without means to stop it.
Sam Shepard’s Fool For Love was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was written during Shepard’s own personal struggles with relationships.
They Came From Mars and Landed Outside the Farndale Avenue Church
Beaumaris Theatre Inc.
28 Feb 2020 - 14 Mar 2020
The Farndale Avenue Ladies are performing the story of a Martian who wants to steal the newly invented Roberta the Robot in order to learn the secrets of macrame. Trouble is, the actress playing the robot has been accidentally dosed up with a handful of Valium , the lady playing the leading man is stuck in the toilet with the runs and everyone is having trouble with their lines. So awful, it’s funny!
Switzerland
The Mount Players Inc
28 Feb 2020 - 15 Mar 2020
*** ALL TAKINGS FROM OUR PERFORMANCE ON THURSDAY 5 MARCH WILL BE DONATED TO THE BUSHFIRE WILDLIFE APPEAL **
Switzerland is a metaphysical thriller set in the secluded home of Patricia Highsmith, famous author of the Tom Ripley novels. When meek and mild Edward Ridgeway is sent by Highsmith’s publisher to coax a new Ripley novel out of her, Patricia takes him in in spite of her usual reservations. As the two of them begin to flesh out the new book a power struggle plays out between them.
Written by Australian playwright Joanna Murray Smith, Switzerland is a play that blends reality and fiction and explores the plight of the author struggling to stand outside the shadow of their most famous creation.
CALENDAR GIRLS
Warrandyte Theatre Company
20 Mar 2020 - 4 Apr 2020
When Annie’s husband John is diagnosed with leukaemia, she and her best friend Chris resolve to raise money for a new settee for the hospital waiting room. They manage to persuade some friends and fellow members of the local Women’s Institute (W.I.), to pose nude with them for an “alternative” calendar, with a little help from amateur photographer Lawrence, much to the horror of the their W.I. chairman, Marie.
Rabbit Hole
Off The Leash Theatre Inc.
27 Mar 2020 - 4 Apr 2020
Becca and Howie Corbett have a picture perfect family life in the suburbs of New York until a random, tragic accident takes the life of their four-year old son. Soon after, Becca’s younger, irresponsible sister, Izzy, announces that she is pregnant: there will now be a new child in the family. As Becca and Howie grow apart, Becca’s mother, Nat, badgers Becca about her grieving process, and Jason, the young driver who killed their son, continually shows up to ask forgiveness, the group is on a bumpy road to healing with no road map in sight. Rabbit Hole delves into the complexity of a family navigating deep grief, and learning what it means to live a fruitful life when things fall apart.
Così
Burwood Student Theatre Company
2 Apr 2020 - 10 Apr 2020
Lewis, an aspiring director arrives at a burnt out theatre within the gates of a sad, 70s mental institute, where he is greeted by Justin the social worker who introduces him to a group of unusual personalities. Lewis expects to direct a simple play, however Roy, a patient (and enthusiastic thespian) pressures the cast into performing Mozart’s Italian Opera Così Fan Tutte, yet none of the patients can sing and no one speaks Italian!
The River
Williamstown Little Theatre Inc.
22 Apr 2020 - 9 May 2020
On a moonless evening, a man brings his new girlfriend to a remote cabin for a night of trout-fishing. But before the night is over, it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems… and as memory collides with desire, the truth becomes the most elusive catch of all.
Described as “beautiful, slippery and unnerving”, the nature of the play and its inherent mystery means that the finer details of its plot and characters resonate long after the production.
Note – 80 mins – no interval
Strong language
THREE LITTLE WORDS
Heidelberg Theatre Company
24 Apr 2020 - 9 May 2020
Married straight couple, Tess and Curtis, have decided to separate. Their friends, gay couple Bonnie and Annie, are devastated. What now for their twenty years of shared experiences, at home and on holiday?
Wildly funny, yet firmly thought-provoking, this recent play from Melbourne’s Joanna Murray-Smith is a fascinating study of friendships and alliances, and reveals how easily they can shatter when situations change.
Scenes From A Separation
The Basin Theatre Group Inc.
15 May 2020 - 6 Jun 2020
There are two sides to every separation. Two truths. A story which will resonate with anyone who has ever loved and lost.
Matthew and Nina have been married for twelve years. He is forty; a successful publisher. Always in control, his pace is enormous and his path is littered with the discarded souls of those who tried to keep up. Nina’s thirty-eight; a journalist. She hasn’t worked since the birth of the children. She’s restless; looking for something. So when Mathew suggests she takes on the biography of Lawrence Clifford, tycoon, philanthropist and now Australian of the Year, she throws herself into the project with an all-consuming enthusiasm. This is a play about love and betrayal, about sex, sacrifice and survival, of break-ups and break-downs.
The play is a dissection of the breakdown of a marriage: with Andrew Bovell’s Act One taking the male point of view, and Hannie Rayson’s Act Two seeing the other side of the story (and scenery).