Directed by Matt Scholten

Featuring Harli Ammes, Danielle Carter, Jan Friedl, Matthew Molony, Bruce Myles and Majid Shokor

Set Design by Kat Chan
Costume Design by Katherine Branch
Lighting Design by Lisa Mibus
Producing Partner Peta Hanrahan/The Dog Theatre

Four premieres, Four revivals, Four weeks

Following the critical and popular success of his production of Daniel Keene’s Half and Half which opened The Dog Theatre in 2008, director Matt Scholten returns with an exceptional ensemble cast to present not one but four world premiere Keene plays along with four revivals.

“To be given four new plays was an extraordinary gift and should’ve been enough to take on by themselves but then the idea of presenting some of my favourite works from Daniel’s past therefore creating a veritable festival seemed too good an opportunity to pass up,” says Scholten.

Keene’s finely observed studies of the disenfranchised, the vulnerable and the socially disconnected are his hallmark. In the four new plays : A Death, The Morning After, Cafe Table and Somewhere in the Middle of The Night he explores the strengths and weaknesses of the ties that bind families and friends.

The four revivals, A Glass of Twilight, To Whom it May Concern, The First Train and Two Shanks are all studies of different types of relationships at their most intense and intimate.

One of Australia’s most awarded playwrights, Daniel Keene has written for the theatre since 1979. He has won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Drama twice, the NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Drama three times, the South Australian Literary Award for Drama, the Wal Cherry Play of the Year Award and the Sumner Locke Elliot Prize (New York). His work has been presented at the Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide International Arts Festivals. Since 2000 over 75 productions of his work have been presented in Europe, predominately in FranceParis). (including at the Avignon Festival, the Theatre de la Commune in Paris, the National Theatre of Toulouse and at The Theatre de la Ville in

Venue: The Dog Theatre, 42 A, Albert Street Footscray

Melways Ref: 42 C6 or 2S E9

Date & Times: Wednesday – Sunday 18 July-16 August 2009

Tickets: Adult $30 Concession $20: Season Ticket $99/$70

Bookings: 9639 0096 www.easytix.com.au

Where: The Dog Theatre - 42A Albert St - Footscray

Four premieres

A Death: In a world where there is no more food and the birds have all flown away, a mother and son wait for their long estranged daughter and sister whom they have been told by a stranger is coming home to save them. A heartbreaking, arresting work haunted by the ghost of Samuel Beckett. Performed by Jan Friedl and Harli Ammes.

Café Table: Three short duets set at a café table: Armir and Luzak are refugees debating their struggles for a "new life", Paul and Simone are lonely old friends meeting for what they realise is the last time and Estelle and Arnaud, a divorced couple, meet to discuss the changes in both their lives and the lives of their two children. In three separate moments, secrets, desires and fears are revealed and the past's influence and events are put in perspective over the simple, social, everyday act of drinking coffee and sitting opposite a friend or foe. Performed by the whole ensemble: Harli Ammes, Danielle Carter, Jan Friedl, Matthew Molony, Bruce Myles and Majid Shokor

Somewhere in the Middle of the Night: Sylvie is patiently trying to take her mother, Agnes, home to live with her in the country: Agnes is trying desperately to hold on to her home, her memories and her mind. The play examines one of the most challenging moments in the life of a parent and child: the time has come for the roles to be reversed, and neither mother nor daughter are quite prepared for what this means. Performed by Jan Friedl and Danielle Carter

The Morning After: A study of family roles and what it means to rely on someone emotionally and financially: no villains, no heroes just fathers and sons and husbands and wives living and breathing the same air. Performed by Bruce Myles, Jan Friedl and Matthew Molony

Two Shanks: A soliloquy in which a homeless man searching for food in a laneway bin finds a dead infant and decides to give the child the only funeral the man can afford. A remarkable work that speaks to the heart, it haunts the mind with its sheer beauty and quiet tragedy. Performed by Majid Shokor

To Whom It May Concern: Before he passes away, a father dying of cancer searches for a way to get the world to take care of his child-like forty year old son whose only spoken word is "Da". A play born out of silence and presenting the incredible lengths one will go to to protect the ones we love and care for. Performed by Bruce Myles and Matthew Molony

A Glass of Twilight: Two men, a young gay hustler and a travelling salesman, meet in a bar and form an unexpected physical and emotional relationship. A business transaction based on the physical quietly blossoms into an emotional connection that changes two lives. Loneliness is personified and perhaps becomes a thing of the past. Performed by Bruce Myles and Harli Ammes

The First Train: A cobbler tells a story from someone's childhood about a mother's sacrifice whilst tirelessly mending a mound of children's shoes. Performed by Majid Shokor A cobbler tells a story from someone's childhood about a mother's sacrifice whilst tirelessly mending a mound of children's shoes. Performed by Majid Shokor