SIREN THEATRE CO
THE VIOLENT OUTBURST
THAT DREW ME TO YOU
Siren Theatre Co + Griffin Independent present in association with Inplay Arts presents The Violent Outburst That Drew Me To You by Finegan Kruckemeyer.
June 18 - July 12, 2014
Ideal for ages 12 +
Directed by Kate Gaul
Original music by Daryl Wallis
Choreography Ash Bee
Production Design Jasmine Christie
Lighting Design Hartley T A Kemp
Photographer Heidrun Lohr
Cast: Emily Ayoub, Michael Cutrupi, Renee Heys, Natalia Ladyko, Anthony Weir
Original Production included Kate Worsley and Brandon Christine
The playscript is published by Currency Press.
Sydney Theatre Critics Award 2014 Nomination BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
What the critics said:
1. Glenn Saunders THE SPELL OF WAKING HOURS: http://thespellofwakinghours.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/violent-outburst.html
"Kruckemeyer and Gaul’s Violent Outburst is a well-paced seventy minutes of exuberant, energetic and physical theatre. While it is funny it is never gratuitous or at another’s expense, just as it is serious without descending into sentimentality, and its warm and generous heart is something to take notice of, embrace, and savour."
2. Mathew D'Silva SAME SAME: http://www.samesame.com.au/reviews/11084/The-Violent-Outburst-That-Drew-Me-To-You-Griffin-Theatre
"Kate Gaul is a great director and this is a production that showcases her ability to look at something ordinary and transform it into something totally outside the box. It is worth the trip to the Griffin Theatre just to enjoy the experience of seeing something that isn’t your normal piece of theatre with interpretative dance."
3. Whitney Fitzsimmons: STAGE NOISE: http://www.stagenoise.com/review/2013
"There is something so whimsical and fun about The Violent Outburst That Drew Me To You that at times you don't want it to end. It's a good thing too because the subject matter is serious - the serious matter of growing up, being a teenager and figuring out who you are - while at the same time thinking everyone else is a dickhead."
4. Jason Blake SMH: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/stage/the-violent-outburst-that-drew-me-to-you-review-a-smack-upside-your-heart-20140623-zshz9.html
"Directed by Kate Gaul, Finegan Kruckemeyer’s play had a season at Parramatta Riverside late last year. If you missed it there, it’s worth catching here in town. If you have adolescent children, you might want to bring them along."
5. Kevin Jackson : Kevin Jackson's Theatre Diary: http://www.kjtheatrediary.com
" Made for young adults this is a good place to be with your offsprings, it is an entertainment that can, should, provoke fruitful conversation between the generations…. directed … in a robust and delightfully resourceful, inventive and inspiring manner. Music, song, dance, shadow puppets, dazzling costume aesthetics, juggling props, and an energetic, clever company of five actors release the story of 16 year old, Connor..”
6. Suzy Wrong: http://suzygoessee.com/2014/06/20/the-violent-outburst-that-drew-me-to-you-siren-theatre-co-griffin-theatre-company/
"Kate Gaul’s direction is a celebration of youth. Her creation is energetic, mischievous and very vibrant. The show arrests our senses, providing an immersive experience that makes adventurous use of the theatrical form. We have lots to see and hear beyond the writer’s words. The spirit of collaboration is alive under Gaul’s stewardship. "
7. Suzanne Rath ARTS HUB: http://performing.artshub.com.au/news-article/reviews/performing-arts/the-violent-outburst-that-drew-you-to-me-244372
"Kate Gaul directs a stylish play which makes maximum use of the Griffin theatre space, using puppets, silhouettes behind curtains and an excellent soundscape to bring Connor's issues to life."
8. LISA THATCHER (blogger): http://lisathatcher.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/the-violent-outburst-that-drew-me-to-you-kate-gaul-and-the-smell-of-teen-spirit-theatre-review/
"It is the energy of teen spirit pouring through everything that brings us closest to the heart of Connor and at the same time contributes to the invisible walls he insists on placing between himself and the world.The Violent Outburst that Drew me To You makes itself as available to teens as it does adults, navigating an impossible terrain skillfully."
9. David Kary Sydney Arts Guide: http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/violent-outburst-drew/
"This little zinger of a play is well served by Kate Gaul’s very theatrical style of production. There’s a very physical style of performing, a good use of puppetry, lighting and shadow effects, the soundscape works well. The play captures beautifully the freewheeling, zany, adventurous, exuberant and flighty nature of this period of life. "
10. Veronica Kaye THEATRERED: http://theatrered.wordpress.com
"Finegan Kruckemeyer’s play is an intriguing exploration of teenage anger, positing both causes and solutions. And Kate Gaul’s production of The Violent Outburst That Drew Me To You is extremely engaging theatre. It’s visually exciting, with snappy dialogue and high energy performances (yes, I’m obviously holding down the cliché key on my keyboard)."
11. Lloyd Bradford Skye CRIKEY: http://dailyreview.crikey.com.au/the-violent-outburst-that-drew-me-to-you-griffin-theatre-sydney/
".. Violent Outburst stands as an oblique (dare I say, impressionistic?) meditation on what it is to endure pre-adult angst; it becomes acute when observing and documenting the pain involved in emergence from childhood."
12. Prudence Clark THE BRAG: http://thebrag.com/arts/violent-outburst-drew-me-you 4/5
13. Frank Hatherley Stage Whispers: http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/violent-outburst-drew-me-you-0
"... theatrical pace and panache...."
Photographer Heidrun Lohr
So, The Violent Outburst that Drew Me to You premiered in a very modest production at Riverside Theatre 2012 in the (now, sadly, defunct) TRUE WEST program. The real beauty of a program like TRUE WEST was that it not only championed voices from its regional area of Sydney but provided an important spring board for diverse new writing. What better way to develop a new play and production than to get it up in front of an audience? I often lament the absence of a theatre where – as part of the programming mix - there can be a turnover of new plays, simply produced, as part of play and playwright development. We used the short premiere season at Riverside to explore the form of this play and used it as a kind of sketch-pad to explore HOW to tell the story. So, although this current season is not strictly what could be called a second production (as essentially the same team has gone on to develop the original production) we deployed our limited resources into elements that served our story telling choices on the stage of the Stables Theatre. We opened the production in Sydney with a genuine confidence and clarity with the material and, ultimately, more joy.
The elusive second production is somewhat uncharted territory in Australian theatre. The limited opportunites are partly due to economic pressure and partly due to perceived community pressure on theatre companies. The interest in premieres can tip over into fetish stranding the in-between plays – second, third productions – in uncomfortably becalmed seas. As part of the Griffin Independent season we explore a quasi-second production of Fin’s play. The collaboration between our combined imaginations, our various skills, strengths and our belief in the importance of reaching an audience of all ages is deeply satisfying. I hope you enjoy the production! Kate Gaul
In the making ...
