NEW BABYLON
by Stephen Carleton
directed by Gail Evans
Knock-em-Down Theatre and Brown’s Mart Productions, 2021
SYNOPSIS
A macabre comedy exploring themes of decadence, waste and the logical end points of compulsive consumption under late capitalism.
The companion piece to the 2018 hit The Turquoise Elephant, New Babylon is the second in a proposed trilogy of absurdist works dealing with the climate change crisis.
Aunt Olympia is on board a “dark tourism” ship, bound for the great plastic vortexes of the Pacific Ocean. She thinks she is touring the world’s great sites of environmental degradation as a privileged voyeur, but when our audience join her to watch her voyage – as lucky lottery winners aboard the ship – things take a bizarre turn.
As the ship ploughs through the great Pacific trash gyres on its journey to a mysterious outpost – New Babylon – the occupants begin behaving more strangely, and our own presence aboard the ship, has us questioning our complicity in the dire circumstances we all find ourselves in.
PRODUCTION
Premiered 8 June 2021, Brown’s Mart Theatre
Nicky Fearn as Olympia
Kadek Hobman as Wolfgang
Merlynn Tong as Astrid
Sarah Reuben as Vivien
Kyle Walmsley as Dr Suleiman
The Chair
Set - Bec Adams
Lighting - Sean Pardy
Sound - Matthew Cunliffe
Costumes - Kirsten Faucett
Visuals - Todd Williams
Production - Brad Fawcett
Stage Manager - Marnie McDonald