Focus On: The Owl And The Pussycat
Subscribe
X

Get the latest from Beat

"*" indicates required fields

Focus On: The Owl And The Pussycat

general1.jpg

“Jason curated these shows,” says the theatre-maker. “It’s all still up in the air what will happen after he leaves but he will make the announcement when we do know,” he notes of the future of the small venue which has become something of a favourite amongst the indie theatre spaces of Melbourne.

“It’s a great venue,” says Rouse. “Very handy. A small intimate theatre. It’s unique as people do live there. There’s one word to describe it and that’s ‘diversity.’ So much of Fringe happens in North Melbourne and there are 400 other shows so even though ours are all individual shows, and they’re all incredibly different from one another, we thought it would be foolish not to work together – in the spirit of collaboration that is the Fringe Festival. Fringe is so large so we wondered how we could present all these shows together in a way that makes it special. Rather than being separate producers competing with each other, we decided to make our theatre a sort of Fringe hub and do them all together.”

This means audience members can stop at The Owl and Pussycat for an entire evening and catch three different shows on the one night. “There are three vastly different experiences each night, one at 6.30pm, one at 8pm and one at 9pm,” says Rouse. “You can grab a drink, meet the cast and talk to everyone and stay around for the next show. It’s not as hectic as having to run from venue to venue. People don’t have to run around bumping in and bumping out their shows. Everything is so localised. You can sit and chat and meet the other actors.”

Rouse’s company Don’t’ Look Away is producing a show called The Great God Mogadon. “My show is a classic radio play where four women paly roles that were originally written for men. I chose it ‘cos it’s a brilliant satire. It’s about a man in the public service who gets a knock on the door and becomes a very important cog in the public administration…but eventually he becomes a lamb to the slaughter when they conspire against him.” Sounds familiar. “It’s still relevant,” notes Rouse. “It’s a big thing when the government is willing to put its own people in harm’s way. The original play is written for radio. We have four women on stage who are telling the story rather than acting it out. There’s a special look and character to it.”

Other shows in the season include Gavin Roach’s I Can’t Say the F Word, about the impact of language on identity; Who Are You Supposed To Be by Keith Gow, a love letter to all things geek; Loose Canon Theatre Company’s Ten Plagues inspired by Daniel Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year; Ludwig and Lowengrin, a one-man show inspired by historical events offering a glimpse into the enigmatic world of King Ludwig II; and The World Inside by five young minds, a sharing of the very young child’s experience and co-devised with its young performer.

Rouse was around when The Owl and the Pussycat was established. “I did one of their first shows,” he says. “It’s nice to go back. The Owl and the Pussycat has allowed for all sorts of experimental theatre. You can do that in a small theatre when you’re not relying on ticket sales.”

BY LIZA DEZFOULI