A critically acclaimed play from one of Australia’s most celebrated playwrights is coming to the East Coast.
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Twelve Times He Spoke is an innovative work from Tasmanian playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer that follows the journey of one man’s life.
It follows the original format of presenting occasions, whether they be speeches or intimate moments, in which the man chooses, or is chosen, to speak before a gathered group of others: his classmates, his teammates, friends, colleagues and strangers.
In this way, the audience is put in the position of bearing witness to his life.
The one-person show is structured into these 12 monologues, that span the man’s life from age seven to 55.
It subtly explores the way men are encouraged to repress their emotions through the character’s personal development over decades.
Senior producer at Tasmania Performs – the organisation presenting the show – Annette Downs, said the play explored the beauty and drama hidden in a person’s life, that appears on the surface to be perfectly ordinary.
“It begins simply enough, mapping the twists and turns of one man’s unremarkable life,” she said.
“But the course he has charted is not the one that unfolds, and he ends up in places – some quite dark – that were never part of his plan.
“The fortunes, mishaps, and joys of his years provide a life-long reminder that happiness and comfort can be found in the seemingly insignificant – that the unremarkable can in fact grow to something rich and rare.”
Kruckemeyer has been recognised with 36 awards over the past 13 years, including the 2017 Mickey Miners Lifetime Achievement Award.
His plays have been performed on five continents and translated into six languages, and have graced the stages of the Sydney Opera House, DC’s Kennedy Centre, NY’s Lincoln Centre, Dublin’s Abbey Theatre and Shanghai’s Malan Flower Theatre.
But this tour will see his works appearing on more humble stages.
Presented by Tasmania Performs and produced by Hobart-based theatre company Blue Cow, the play is visiting small towns across Tasmania from Kettering to Stanley.
The protagonist will be played by Guy Hooper and the play will be directed by Ben Winspear.
Hooper has worked professionally as a performer, deviser, director and teacher of theatre for over 25 years, including with Death Defying Theatre, Circus Oz, and The Murray River Performing Group.
- Twelve Times He Spoke will be performed at Portland Memorial Hall, St Helens, on Friday November 23, and at the Swansea Town Hall on Saturday November 24, each at 7.30pm, $25 full $20 concession, tickets through www.tasperforms.com.
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