FROM THE ACCLAIMED TEAM THAT BROUGHT YOU THE MULTI-AWARD WINNING
‘THE PILLOWMAN’

23RD PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS THE BRISBANE THEATRE DEBUT OF ‘THE UGLY ONE’ FOLLOWING CELEBRATED SEASONS IN BERLIN, LONDON, MELBOURNE AND BEYOND

THE UGLY ONE: 5 April – 25 APRIL, Metro Arts Galleries
Presented by 23rd Productions and the Metro Arts Allies presenting partnership
www.23rdproductions.com.au www.metroarts.com.au

 How far would you go to be beautiful?
Is having the right face the answer to all our problems?

What if you had the face that EVERYONE ELSE wanted?

If your friends and family told you: you have the ugliest face in the world - what would you do? This is the question Lette asks himself in the latest offering from Brisbane’s highly successful theatre company 23rd Productions in THE UGLY ONE.

23rd Productions launches itself into 2011 with the full throttle comedy masterpiece The Ugly One,described by The Guardian London as, “a small but perfectly formed play,” and by Alison Croggon for Theatre Notes as “a painfully hilarious and disturbing satire”.

Opening 5th April at Metro Arts The Ugly One was written by one of Europe’s most inventive and original playwrights, Marius von Mayenburg. So impressive is this relatively young writer’s work that Melbourne Theatre Company commissioned him to write commended Moving Target in 2008, whist the rest of his body of work has been applauded throughout Australia.

Producers Kathryn Fray and Christopher Sommers of 23rd Productions had both read the script and loved it but had never got round to discussing it together. When they were looking for their 2011 offering a mutual friend reminded them of the play and the excitement began. “We had a clear plan up to 2010 with the plays we wanted to do, but 2011 was wide open. The Ugly One was like the A-HA light bulb moment – of course THIS play! We love it! It’s perfect!” Fray says.

Not to mention critics adored it in Melbourne, calling it a highlight of MTC’s 2010 season and not to be missed.

“And it was the perfect play for us to return to Metro Arts with – not without a twist though!” The Ugly One will be staged in the Metro Arts Galleries space. “An unconventional text needs an unconventional space and staging this in the Galleries offers an intimate experience which really lets the audience immerse themselves in the text and its themes. This will be a night at the theatre like no other,” adds Fray.
THE UGLY ONE is an audacious, witty and as sharp as a surgeon’s knife look at our obsession with how we look. Lette has invented something revolutionary but discovers he is just too damn ugly to promote it. His wife admits he’s so ugly she can only look at him in his left eye. Enter a surgeon with a God complex and a talent for facial transformations and for a while Lette finally gets a life beyond his wildest dreams. Until everyone else changes their face to look like him…

Fray and Sommers are excited to see what Brisbane theatre goers think of it. “Yes the play is funny and at times outright hilarious, but it is also a really fresh and intelligent look at today’s narcissism. Many people, subconsciously or otherwise, worry about how they appear and that has an impact on their life. The media doesn’t help either, with relentless images of how we are MEANT to look – what’s hot and what’s not. Brisbane has its own style and sense of freedom and so we think local audiences will just love this,” says Fray.

The play is directed by one of Brisbane’s rising star directors Kat Henry, who will direct ORPHANS at Queensland Theatre Company in June as part of their studio season. She also most notably directed and produced the successful The New Dead: Medea Material at La Boite in 2010 as part of their Indie Season. As well as graduating from the NIDA Directing program, she has a large body of work behind her across multi art forms that has taken her both interstate and international.

A stellar cast of experienced Brisbane talent will bring the play to life, including Dirk Hoult as Karlmann (multi award winning and Helpmann nominated THE KURSK), and sound designer Jeremy Neideck (Co-Artistic Director of Greenroom award nominated Red Moon Rising), as well as the highly successful 23rd Productions team Kathryn Fray and Christopher Sommers.

          
    For media interviews and images, please contact Christopher Sommers on 0402 361241 or christopher@23rdproductions

The Ugly One
Produced by 23rd Productions and appearing as part of the Metro Arts Allies program
5th April to 23rd April
Tuesday to Thursday 7:30pm
Friday and Saturday 7:00pm and 9:00pm
Opening: Wednesday 6 April 7:30pm
Preview: Tuesday 5 April 7:30pm
Artist Talk: Wednesday 13 April – join the actors and crew for a drink and post show chat

Tickets: Adults $25/ Conc. $22/ Groups 10+ $15 / Tight Tuesdays $15 cash at the door
The Galleries, Metro Arts 109 Edward Street, Brisbane
Book tickets online: www.metroarts.com.au or phone 07) 3002 7100

Written by Marius von Mayenburg, translated by Maja Zade
Directed by Kat Henry
Executive Producer Kathryn Fray
Producer / Assistant Director Christopher Sommers
Production Manager Dirk Hoult
Featuring Norman Doyle, Kathryn Fray, Dirk Hoult and Kevin Spink
Stage Design by Jessica Ross
Lighting Design by Hamish Clift
Sound Composition by Jeremy Neideck
Stage Managers Justin Boase and Charleen Masters
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