We were thrilled to attend Underground Theatre Company's (UTC) 2024 season launch party this past weekend. UTC, a fantastic theatre company, provides invaluable opportunities for young and emerging performers, creatives, and technical teams. Their 2024 season promises nothing short of excellence.
During the event, we had the privilege of speaking with the current Artistic Director, Kiera Lee, about the company's upcoming season and its rich history. UTC traces its roots back to 1912 as part of the University of Queensland's societies, making it the first theatre company in QLD. Over its remarkable 110+ year journey, UTC has undergone several transformations, boasting luminaries such as Bille Brown, Bryan Nason, and Richard Fotheringham among its ranks. Today, UTC operates as an 'affiliated club' within the university, granting it more autonomy in business and artistic endeavors, including staging its inaugural Profit Share production this year!
In addition to its exciting 2024 lineup, UTC offers a Writer's Room for aspiring playwrights and a Creative Space initiative. The Writer's Room serves as a platform for emerging artists to refine their craft over a 12-month period through a submission/selection-based program. Meanwhile, Creative Spaces opens its doors to artists of all stripes, offering a platform for diverse forms of expression, whether it be poetry, writing, comedy, or anything in between. These programs underscore UTC's unwavering commitment to nurturing emerging talent and embodying its core philosophy.
2024 SEASON
Slap, Bang, Kiss
Written by Dan Giovannoni | Directed by Joshua Price
SLAP. A video of 16-year-old Immi hitting a security officer goes viral. BANG. Sofia’s impassioned speech for the victims of a school shooting makes international news. KISS. In the car park of a small-town Woolies, people rally around Darby as they aattempt to set the world record for the longest kiss. SLAP. BANG. KISS. tracks three young people whose stories kickstart a series of events none of them could have anticipated, transforming them into global symbols of revolution. But when their stories go viral and the whole world is watching, what will they do next?
Doghole
Written by Grace Wilson | Directed by El Waddingham
Meet DOG or Camille Evans (don't call them that to their face, though.) They think all writers are bad, they think Tim Winton isn’t that great of an author, they think they have the next big hit under their fingers. It's called DOGHOLE - and it's their ticket out of the middle-of-nowhere town they grew up in. But DOG knows it’s a bit hard to write a book with no characters and no plot. DOG knows that normal writers don’t get haunted by the ghosts of dead authors who insist they’re doing this writing thing wrong. DOG knows that normal writers don’t find the world of fiction and reality crossing over until they’re not sure what’s a line in a book or an event in real life. DOG knows this, they really do. But that’s just another hurdle in their race to be the next big thing.
Rotterdam
Written by Jon Brittain
Rotterdam is a port city, a place people pass through, but Alice has been living there for seven years with her partner, Fiona, unable to return home to tell her parents the truth about her sexuality. Just as she plucks up the courage to draft an email revealing to them that she is gay, Fiona reveals that he has always identified as a man and now wants to start living as one. Now Alice must face a question she never thought she'd ask . . . does this mean she's straight? As the two of them begin to explore what this means for themselves and each other, they find themselves caught between a need to assert ones identity and the needs of others, poleaxed by the discovery that love might not be enough to carry you through.
Conversations After Sex
Written by UTC Community | Produced by Kiera Lee
“Was this your first time?”, “You consented right?”, “Hey, Alexa, play You’re Welcome” The words, sounds and silences we divulge in moments following intimacy may just reveal our innate need to connect. Inspired by real stories, unguarded thoughts and confessions, Conversations After Sex explores the raw and unexpected nature of sexual experiences and the people from which they come. This new verbatim work is based on real experiences sourced from anonymous submissions from Meanjin’s young people. Currently in development, this unique project that relies on your voices - what stories will you tell?
Playground Festival
Written by UTC Community
UTC’s Annual Short Play Writing Festival, rebranded as the ‘Playground Festival’ is a festival dedicated to our communities aspiring playwrights. Aptly named, the festival's emphasis on short plays aligns seamlessly with the concept of playfulness, encouraging creatives to take risks, challenge norms, and traverse the unexplored aspects of themselves and their work. Bringing together dozens of creatives, It becomes a metaphorical playground where creativity knows no bounds, and innovative ideas are given the freedom to grow and roam. It's an annual rendezvous where the serious business of storytelling melds harmoniously with the sheer delight of artistic play, resulting in an unforgettable and vibrant theatrical experience.
How To Vote
Written by Julian Lanarch
I’m addicted. I’m sick. I’ve been diagnosed, I’ve got all the symptoms and no amount of medicine or bed-rest is going to stop me from getting what I want, getting more of what I want, getting all of what I want. Power. REAL POWER. Election season is upon us! When the incumbent President of the University Student Council mysteriously steps down, new players must enter the arena. But behind the three-word slogans and non-core promises lies an underbelly of secret deals and divided loyalties, corruption and ambition; all designed to win the hearts and minds of the student body. Following an entire election cycle within a prestigious university, How To Vote! explores the treacherous political landscape of campus life, and what happens when you put the word ‘student’ before journalism, politics and theatre.
Tickets for all these productions go on sale shortly, you can learn more about the 2024 UTC season here!
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