By Petra Kalive
OIL BABIES
An anguished, polished and unmissable piece of theatre. – Chris Boyd, The Australian
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Theatre People
What Did She Think?
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OIL BABIES repositions our lives as one on the precipice of a planet dramatically changing… perhaps even the moment before our own extinction. It weighs up our continued “hope-investment” in procreation against our feelings of helplessness at the state of the planet – and our role in its demise.
Throughout this piece, the body – in particular women’s bodies – are used as a metaphor to explore our world: our need to control it, our desire to want it to look and be a certain way and, ultimately, our lack of respect for it.
Written and directed by Petra Kalive and featuring an all-female cast, OIL BABIES blends lyrical, rapid-fire text with poetic imagery and domestic drama to present a dangerous, pithy and at times darkly comedic work that speaks directly to the concerns we hold now.
Proudly presented by Lab Kelpie and Darebin Arts Speakeasy.
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Shortlisted: 2018 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards – Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting (Petra Kalive)
Nominated: 2018 Green Room Award – Lighting Design (Lisa Mibus)
Nominated: 2018 Green Room Award – Sound Design (Darius Kedros)
Nominated: 2018 Green Room Award – Sound Design (Darius Kedros)
“Oil Babies is intimately confronting and leaves you feeling devastatingly exposed. This exhilarating production and its messages will be swirling around my mind for months to come.” –
Theatre People
“Intelligent, gentle, horrific, terrifying, and a work of great love and humanity. Oil Babies is the hit show this winter.” –
What Did She Think?
“Harrowing. An impactful, confronting performance. A fast-moving, relatable and hard-hitting genre, wrapped up in a highly-entertaining package. Definitely worth seeing.” –
“Kalive’s intellectual curiosity, humour and soul-baring emotion invigorate this production. Covering everything from reproductive rights to human extinction, it’s provocative and searching theatre, smartly designed and performed with an infectious sense of mischief.” – The Age
“[An] anguished, polished and unmissable piece of theatre. Oil Babies is one of the most perfectly wrought theatrical miniatures you are likely to encounter.” – The Australian
“The performers provide a hard-hitting tour de force through the delivery of a variety of myths, facts, obsessions and compulsive behaviours aimed at preserving and protecting the environment.” – Stage Whispers
“Thought-provoking parallels are the strength of Kalive’s writing. The female body becomes the small-scale manifestation of the earth’s damage, littered with the same apprehensions, trials and compulsion to ‘fix.” – The Dialog
“Oil Babies truly possesses an epic scope, with MacLeod, Hulme and Le Vesconte giving terrific performances. A fine addition to Lab Kelpie’s collection of new Australian theatre, with plenty of heart and craft.” – Arts Review Australia
“Kalive’s script is informative, devastating and funny – often all at once.” – RMITV
Date: 8-18 Aug 2018
Event: Premiere Season as part of Darebin Arts Speakeas
Venue: Northcote Town Hall – Northcote VIC
Performances: 10