South Australian Playwrights Theatre present
Bordertown
South Australian Playwrights Theatre are back at Holden Street with their latest comedy from local South Australian writer Matt Hawkins, Bordertown.
After years of riding the fame of creating Bob Hawke’s famous hairdo, aging hairdresser Patricia Barnes sees her notoriety slowly fading. Not one to give up that easily, she compels her daughter, Felicity, to travel Tinseltown and become a big star!
In a recent interview with The Advertiser, writer Matt Hawkins said, “[Bordertown] is an exploration of the way we treat celebrity and the absolute falsehood upon which it is based. It is dark but it is funny. It’s an absurd comedy.”
Bordertown isn’t just the story of a young woman’s brush with celebrity, but is an exploration of fame in a world obsessed with everyone getting their fifteen minutes.
For more information about Bordertown, click the link below.
The Season
Tuesday 2 – Saturday 13 April
The Studio
$18 – $24
Grab your tickets from HSTBO while you still can!
South Australian Playwrights Theatre
The South Australian Playwrights Theatre is committed to developing and producing the works of local South Australian writers. They seek to nurture a culturally diverse community of playwrights, directors, actors, and technical specialists. Starting with a bang in 2018 with the critically acclaimed Frank Forbes and the Yahoo Boys, the company has gone on to develop many other shows including the New Voicesprogram and The Middle Way, which came to Holden Street Theatres in January!
The writer – Matt Hawkins
Matt Hawkins is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter whose credits include The Micallef Program (ABC), Always Greener (7 Network), and Life Support (SBS). His feature films and shorts have appeared in over 30 international film festivals and his work has been loved by audiences in Australia, the UK, and Ghana. His last play, Frank Forbes and the Yahoo Boy, was nominated for best professional production at the Adelaide Theatre Guide’s Curtain Call Awards. Matt lectures in screenwriting at Flinders University and is the Artistic Director of South Australian Playwrights Theatre.
The Psychology Behind Bordertown
“Bordertown is an exploration of fame on all levels, from being the most glamorous hairdresser in a small town, to dating minor Hollywood celebrities. It delves into what this obsession with a truly contrived world does to self-esteem, family relationships and our own contemporary Australian culture.” – Matt Hawkins
In an interview with The Advertiser, writer and director Matt Hawkins explained the event that first sparked the idea for his next play, Bordertown.
Hawkins was struck by an image of Hollywood comedian Jim Carrey carrying the coffin of a deceased ex-girlfriend, make-up artist Cathriona White, at her funeral in County Tipperary, Ireland. White’s sued Carrey in a Wrongful Death lawsuit, which was later dropped. What was evident to Hawkins was that we live in a culture in which we are obsessed with celebrity, and as much as celebrities can serve as role models, we get just as much pleasure seeing them fall.
“We judge people like Jim Carrey because we can … it’s entertainment,’’ Hawkins told The Advertiser. “Without a doubt, the whole world was judging this man, as he sought to atone for whatever guilty feelings he felt toward an ex-partner, who died tragically as a result of mental illness.”
Psychologist Nathan Heflick outlines the obsession that society has with modern celebrities.
“We love celebrities because they are an integral part of culture. They have made it in the worldview we are so entrenched in. By worshipping them (to an extent), we feel as if we are participating in this hugely important cause/belief system. And that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy, and like our life matters”.
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