Parents are a complete mystery to children. They exist as these all-powerful figures who seem to hover over your life whether bossy, friendly, embarrassing, absent, or inexplicable. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, you are one yourself and the focus on your own parents becomes crystal clear for the first time. At least that’s what happened to the four generations of Gumbaynggirr mothers and daughters at the heart of Brittanie Shipway’s new play.
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One year ago Joanne and Felicity formed their temp job agency as a hare-brained scheme for them to do all the jobs themselves, no matter how unqualified, and rake in the money to help stabilise their lives. Now, post-COVID lockdowns and Joanne’s divorce, the end of their plan is in sight. But without the agency and their partner in literal crime, what will they have?
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We are conditioned to want, or even expect, the fairytale romance culminating in marriage and a happily ever after with kids. Whether it’s romcoms, social norms, or capitalism, the pressure to fulfil these expectations is enormous. For some it’s a matter of casting off that narrative and seeking something else but what if you do want the fairytale and you just can’t get it?
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Ian Darling and Greg Fleet discovered their unique stage partnership in a high school production of the Comedy of Errors in 1978. Some 40 years later they want to reclaim those old feelings and return to the stage together but the intervening years have done some damage. In this meta-play, the two old friends sift through two lifetimes of regrets, disappointments, and unexpected triumphs.
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Night Writes 