Independence in The City

South Australian independent theatre company nowyesnow is preparing to open UK playwright Martin Crimp’s most recent original play, The City this week.

Directed by nowyesnow’s co-artistic director (and incoming Artistic Director of State Theatre Company SA), Geordie Brookman, The City is a study of our increasing isolation in an increasingly connected world.

Brookman directed Crimp’s Attempts on Her Life in 2008 for the State Theatre Company SA and has jumped at the chance to work on the “in-yer-face” playwright’s complex, precise and mischievous look at suburban anxieties.

Brookman says “The City sits about as close as Crimp gets to naturalism (which isn’t that close), while Attempts is his most overtly experimental piece. What attracts me to his writing is the intelligence and precision of it, a great thing to go up against as a director”.

The nowyesnow team has brought together the cream of SA’s theatre professionals with a wealth of national experience both on stage and off.

Brookman will be joined on this production by a number of State Theatre Company SA regulars and favourite collaborators including Lizzy Falkland, Chris Pitman, Andrew Howard and Victoria Lamb.

Lamb has designed for many of Brookman’s productions and returns to the Bakehouse Theatre after a prolonged absence to leverage the venue’s intimacy and and directness. As the home of many independent productions, the Bakehouse theatre is one of the smaller venues in Adelaide supporting the independent sector, providing a range of support and network connections to its various hirers.

“The City is only partially funded (through Arts SA), but that small buffer allows us to be more adventurous with our choices.  The camaraderie of an independent production and the chance to create work without any outside pressures or expectations has a simplicity and directness that I enjoy,” says Brookman.

This type of support has nowyesnow also planning a production of a new Australian work and at least two creative developments later in the year… all welcome additions to SA’s thriving independent sector.

The City runs at the Bakehouse Theatre from April 18 – 28, 2012 and tickets are available online at www.bakehousetheatre.com

nowyesnow is an independent theatre company led by Nicki Bloom and Geordie Brookman. The company is committed to making dynamic, incisive and dreamlike text based theatre – more info is available at www.nowyesnow.com.au.