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PROGRAM NOTE

Roulette, written here in Melbourne in the early 90s, depicts a society in flux. Our particular collection of five plays present characters that are struggling to find their place in a rapidly changing socio-political climate. Against a backdrop of modernity, gentrification and callous anonymity, the characters are searching for meaning and connection in a society that offers them little hope for a connected future. 90s Melbourne underwent significant cultural and social changes, and while our production continues to reflect the zeitgeist of that era it has been transposed to a more timeless, recent setting, while still exploring the same themes of
isolation, desperation, and the search for identity.

This production simultaneously embraces and opposes the concept of ‘hyper-realism’, presenting the audience with a bleak and unflinching portrait of the characters' lives, while also abstracting their place in it through striking design choices. The plays are highly deterministic, deep diving into the idea that the characters are trapped in a cycle of destructive (and self-destructive) behaviour from which they cannot escape. The structure of our collection, with repeated gestures, haunting crossovers and subtle allusions to previous plays, reinforces this sense of determinism, suggesting that the characters' fates are preordained and destined to repeat day after day, forever.

Two central values have emerged in rehearsals: escape and power. The characters in the play are all searching for a way out of their bleak circumstances, asserting their power over each other, seeking dominance in a world that seems determined to crush them. Through our staging and design choices, we have attempted to amplify these values, creating a world that is both suffocating and exhilarating, expansive and stifling, where the characters are in a brutal cage match and endless fight for survival. Our hope is that this production will not only capture the bleakness and desperation of the world of the play but highlight its underlying humanity and optimism.

- Program note from the Dramaturg, Tim Overton

CAST

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