The Heartbreak Choir is a new play by renowned late Australian playwright Aiden Fennessy, commissioned as part of the Melbourne Theatre Company’s NEXT STAGE program. An ensemble piece exploring the power of community as an antidote to grief, it was directed and designed by the same team responsible for the company’s 2018 Green Room nominated production of The Architect by the same author. The design built upon the previous responses from the collaborative team to the author’s work, though in this instance creating a more naturalistic and realised environment that evoked a sense of recognition and nostalgia with the audience through a meticulously articulated Country Fire Authority Hall that embodied the themes of community and history. A theatrical transformation at the conclusion of the play inflates the modest stage featured within the set design, bringing the performance space closer and unifying the auditorium and audience with both the performers and community choir revealed during this finale moment.
NTRO Output Category
- Original Creative Work : Design / architectural Work
Place
Melbourne, AustraliaVenue
Sumner Theatre, Southbank TheatreNTRO Publisher
Melbourne Theatre CompanyMedium
Design for Live PerformanceResearch Statement
The Heartbreak Choir is a new play by renowned late Australian playwright Aiden Fennessy, commissioned as part of the Melbourne Theatre Company’s NEXT STAGE program. An ensemble piece exploring the power of community as an antidote to grief, it was directed and designed by the same team responsible for the company’s 2018 Green Room nominated production of The Architect by the same author.
The design built upon the previous responses from the collaborative team to the author’s work, though in this instance creating a more naturalistic and realised environment that evoked a sense of recognition and nostalgia with the audience through a meticulously articulated Country Fire Authority Hall that embodied the themes of community and history. A theatrical transformation at the conclusion of the play inflates the modest stage featured within the set design, bringing the performance space closer and unifying the auditorium and audience with both the performers and community choir revealed during this finale moment.
The excellence of this work is evidenced by:
• The producing company, Melbourne Theatre Company, is the state theatre company of Victoria and a member of the Australian Major Performing Arts Group, receiving both federal and state arts funding.
• The production received a broad range of critical reviews from major national publications, notably from the Australian newspaper by Chris Boyd, Limelight magazine by Patricia Maunder, ArtsHub by Thuy On and Time Out by Guy Webster.
• The live performance was recorded and is offered as a streamed Digital Theatre production by the Melbourne Theatre Company. The film also had a limited cinema release at Cinema Nova in Carlton from November 26 2022.
• The set design was nominated for a Green Room ‘Outstanding Set Design’ award, as well as nominations for best production, writing, directing, ensemble, performance and sound design
• This design was documented extensively by the producing company Melbourne Theatre Company for their education hub.Size or Duration of Work
2 hrs, 44 performancesAffiliation
Christina Smith, University of Melbourne
