Geelong Arts Centre co-produces Australia premiere of EMILIA, direct from London's West End

MEDIA RELEASE • 13 JULY 2022

Geelong Arts Centre is delighted to announce the premiere Australian season of EMILIA at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Playhouse later this year, presented by Arts Centre Melbourne in collaboration with Essential Theatre and Geelong Arts Centre.

Running from 10 - 27 November 2022, the Australian premiere of EMILIA is a riotous, witty reclaiming of the life of the exceptional Emilia Bassano.

In 2021, Geelong Arts Centre committed to providing financial and in-kind support to local producing company, Essential Theatre, for the realisation of EMILIA, backing Essential Theatre and believing the work had the potential for an extensive touring life in Australia.

Flash forward to 2022 and Geelong Arts Centre is proud to be a co-producing partner for the Australian premiere of this vibrant and important work.

Opened in 2019, the Geelong Arts Centre’s $38.5 million Ryrie Street Redevelopment is delivering on the need for purpose-built, state-of-the-art facilities in Geelong for artists to develop high calibre works of scale.

Geelong Arts Centre has granted the cast and creatives of EMILIA financial support alongside in-kind access to Studio 4 – the centre’s largest studio space, boasting the same footprint as The Playhouse stage.

This allows for an unprecedented four weeks of rehearsal in Geelong immediately prior to its Melbourne debut, showcasing the ability for direct transfer of works to main stages across the country.

400 years ago, Emilia Bassano raised her voice. The world didn’t listen. Who was Emilia? Was she the ‘Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare’s sonnets? What of her own poems? And why was her story erased from history?

In Morgan Lloyd Malcolm's electrifying new play, 17th century poet Emilia and her sisters call out to us across the centuries with passion, fury, laughter, and song. A raging call to arms that cannot be ignored.

With a cast of 13 incredible women playing both her and him roles, this play celebrates women’s voices through the trailblazing story of a woman who refused to take no for an answer.

Each performance runs for 2 hours and 30 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.

Tickets range from $39 - $78 and are on sale from 1:00pm, Thursday 14 July at artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/2022/theatre/emilia

The Australian premiere of EMILIA is presented by Arts Centre Melbourne in collaboration with Essential Theatre and Geelong Arts Centre.

The realisation of EMILIA was supported through Geelong Arts Centre’s Creative Engine artistic development program.

Launched in October 2019, Creative Engine supports Geelong Arts Centre’s strategic vision to build sustainable arts practices within regional Victoria.

To learn more about the Creative Engine program and opportunities, visit geelongartscentre.org.au/creative-engine

QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE

“Geelong Arts Centre is proud to support this exciting production in Australia as co-producing partner.

Local artists are at the heart of all that we do, and we are proud to have played a key role in supporting producing company, Essential Theatre, to develop this work in our Creative Engine studios right here in Geelong.

To see this bold and important work come to life in its premiere Australian season is a testament to the flourishing creativity of artists in our region.”

Geelong Arts Centre CEO & Creative Director,

Joel McGuinness

“The work Geelong Arts Centre is currently doing is visionary and their belief in us has been invaluable. Geelong Arts Centre has been instrumental in our journey, and their support has enabled us to produce the Australian premiere of EMILIA, ensuring it reaches the audiences it deserves.

We’ll never forget hearing the final speech from EMILIA on a podcast and knowing in our bones we had to bring this extraordinary production to Australia.

We had been looking for that special something to mark the milestone of our 20th anniversary and couldn't believe how beautifully this play aligned with us; being a female-led company and having spent the last 20 years exploring Shakespeare through a female lens. We knew we had to present this in Australia.”

Essential Theatre Producers,

Amanda LaBonté and Sophie Lampel

- ENDS -

AVAILABLE SPOKESPEOPLE

JOEL MCGUINNESS

CEO & CREATIVE DIRECTOR, GEELONG ARTS CENTRE

PENNY MCCABE

SENIOR PRODUCER, PROGRAMMING & CREATIVE ENGINE, GEELONG ARTS CENTRE

AMANDA LABONTÉ & SOPHIE LAMPEL
PRODUCERS, ESSENTIAL THEATRE

Talent interviews and photo opportunities may be available upon request. Contact Georgia Allen – Geelong Arts Centre

Communications and Social Media Lead to discuss interview opportunities further.

P | 03 5225 1274

E | georgia@geelongartscentre.org.au

For full billing and credits, visit artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/2022/theatre/emilia