By Katy Warner
SPENCER
This may very well be the birth of a future Australian classic. – Maxim Boon, The Music
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A brand new comedy-drama looking at a gloriously dysfunctional Australian family, this is modern storytelling at its best!
Spencer tells the story of a tight-knit family led by single-mum and matriarch Marilyn and her three adult children – wayward daughter Jules, mouthy coulda-been Ben and AFL player and golden-boy Scott.
About to meet the young son – Spencer – he never knew he had, Scott and the family have returned home to help mark the occasion. With the surprise appearance of the father they barely remember, the entire family is forced to work together to clean up both the house and their own fractured relationships as the clock ticks down to Spencer’s arrival.
Written by award-winning playwright Katy Warner (2016 Green Room Award Nomination for A Prudent Man), Spencer asks us to consider how much our family defines who we are, and whether we ever really grow up…
This work was nominated for two Green Room Awards in 2017 (best new writing for Katy Warner and best performance for Lyall Brooks) and shortlisted for the 2015 Playwriting Australia New Play Development Program and a finalist in the 2014 Max Afford Playwrights’ Award.
Spencer received its World Premiere during a 3-week season at Chapel Off Chapel in Melbourne from 8-28 May 2017 and will enjoy a national tour to Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales between July and September 2019.
Running Time: 90 minutes (no interval).
Audience advice: Strong language.
The premiere season of Spencer was proudly supported by:
The 2019 Australian Tour of Spencer was proudly supported by:
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“It quietly uncovers a simple yet universal truth — the flawed but undeniable power of unconditional love. This may very well be the birth of a future Australian classic.” –
“Spencer is full of love and family and all the crap that happens with those two things. It’ll stick in your mind.” –
“Katy Warner’s play should be a mainstream hit. It’s genuinely funny and disturbing, achieving a wonderfully intricate sense of how family can shape and support us, even as it scars us for life.” –
“Family comic drama at its finest.” –
“Warner’s script should be published and this production left me feeling as good as watching The Castle or Kath & Kim. It’s hilarious and it hurts in all the right places because it’s us.” – Sometimes Melbourne
Nominated: 2017 Green Room Award – Writing (Katy Warner)
Nominated: 2017 Green Room Award – Performance (Lyall Brooks)
Shortlisted: 2015 Playwrighting Australia New Play Development Program
Finalist: 2014 Max Afford Playwright’s Award
Date: 11 – 28 May 2017
Event: Premiere Season
Venue: Chapel Off Chapel – Melbourne VIC
Performances: 14
VICTORIA
Date: 4-5 July 2019
Town: Albert Park
Venue: Gasworks Arts Park
Performances: 2
Date: 6 July 2019
Town: Werribee
Venue: Wyndham Cultural Centre
Performances: 1
Date: 12 July 2019
Town: Bendigo
Venue: The Capital
Performances: 1
Date: 13 July 2019
Town: Swan Hill
Venue: Swan Hill Town Hall PACC
Performances: 1
Date: 18 July 2019
Town: Healesville
Venue: The Memo
Performances: 1
Date: 20 July 2019
Town: Dandenong
Venue: The Drum
Performances: 1
Date: 25 July 2019
Town: Wonthaggi
Venue: Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre
Performances: 1
Date: 24 September 2019
Town: Shepparton
Venue: Riverlinks Westside
Performances: 1
Date: 26 September 2019
Town: Parkdale
Venue: Shirley Burke Theatre
Performances: 1
This tour of Spencer is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.
NEW SOUTH WALES
Date: 7 September 2019
Town: Cessnock
Venue: Cessnock Performing Arts Centre
Performances: 1
Date: 11-12 September 2019
Town: Penrith
Venue: The Joan
Performances: 3
Date: 14 September 2019
Town: Griffith
Venue: Griffith Regional Theatre
Performances: 1
Date: 19-21 September 2019
Town: Queanbeyan
Venue: The Q
Performances: 4
QUEENSLAND
Date: 19 August 2019
Town: Townsville
Venue: Riverway Arts Centre
Performances: 1
Date: 21 August 2019
Town: Mackay
Venue: The MECC
Performances: 1
Date: 23-24 August 2019
Town: Brisbane
Venue: QUT Gardens Theatre
Performances: 2
This tour of Spencer is supported by arTour an initiative of the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Date: 30 July 2019
Town: Esperance
Venue: Esperance Civic Centre
Performances: 1
Date: 1 August 2019
Town: Albany
Venue: Albany Entertainment Centre, Princess Royal Theatre
Performances: 1
Date: 3 August 2019
Town: Moora
Venue: Moore Performing Arts Centre
Performances: 1
Date: 7 August 2019
Town: Merredin
Venue: Cummins Theatre
Performances: 1
Date: 9 August 2019
Town: Geraldton
Venue: Queens Park Theatre
Performances: 1
Date: 11 August 2019
Town: Karratha
Venue: Red Earth Arts Precinct
Performances: 1
This tour of Spencer is supported by CircuitWest and the Government of Western Australia’s Department of Local Government, Sports and Cultural Industries through their Regional and Remote Touring Fund.