Home | Shows | Past Productions | 2019 Season | BABY DOLL
In a brand new adaptation, heat and desire sizzle in Tennessee Williams’ Deep South tale of lust, jealousy and betrayal.
- Playwright Tennessee Williams
- Adaptation Pierre Laville and Emily Mann
- Director Shaun Rennie
- Cast Kate Cheel
Maggie Dence
Socratis Otto
Jamie Oxenbould
- 16 - 16 Nov 2019
- Approx. 90 mins (no interval)
- Recommended for ages 14+
- Wheelchair Accessible
- Hearing Loop
- Audio Described (selected dates)
- Content Warning: This production contains language which patrons may find offensive, adult themes, partial nudity, recorded gun shots and theatrical haze. Please also note, nuts are consumed on stage during this performance.
Overview
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Heat and desire sizzle in every line of Tennessee Williams’ Deep South tale of lust, jealousy and betrayal.
Down-on-his-luck Archie Lee is obsessed with his young bride, Baby Doll, but Baby is keeping her husband on a long leash. When the neighbouring cotton gin is burnt to the ground, dangerously charismatic Silva Vacarro pays them a visit, suspicious that Archie is to blame. In the steamy hours that follow, power and passion come irresistibly to the fore as a game of truth or dare plays out.
Peppered with wry humour and sultry comedy, this brand new adaptation breathes fresh life into a beautifully crafted tale by one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century.
Ticket Prices
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Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
| SINGLE TICKET PRICES | Previews & weekday matinees | Evenings & weekend matinees |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | $73 | $78 |
| Seniors | $70 | $75 |
| Pensioners | $66 | $71 |
| Under 30s & Full-time students | $38 | $43 |
| MEAA members | $43 | $43 |
| Groups 10-19 | $70 | $75 |
| Groups 20+ | $66 | $71 |
| School groups | $25 | $25 |
Reviews
"Brilliantly evocative" Sydney Morning Herald
"Scintillating... imbuing every theatrical moment with a rich sensuality" Suzy Wrong
"Director Shaun Rennie draws out finely detailed performances.. tense and steamy" Stage Whispers
"...[a] well-crafted captivating piece of intimate theatre ... Well worth catching" BroadwayWorld Sydney
Cast & Creatives
Tennessee Williams
Playwright
Pierre Laville
Adaptor
Emily Mann
Adaptor
Shaun Rennie
Director
Erin Taylor
Assistant Director
Kate Cheel
Cast
Maggie Dence
Trained at the Independent Theatre at 16 – appeared in THE CRUCIBLE, RHINOCEROS & THE GLASS SLIPPER. Further theatre credits include THE TURQUOISE ELEPHANT – Griffin, SEVENTEEN and ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID‘S CITY – Belvoir, BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO – Old Fitz, KOOKABURRA AND THE SEA – Nimrod, THE MAN FROM MUCKINUPIN, MONGRELS and FOUR LADY BOWLERS – STC, THE ONE DAY OF THE YEAR and NOISES OFF – Ensemble, THE AUNT‘S STORY – MTC, THE SEASON AT SARSPARILLA – STC of SA, SWEENEY TODD and GOOD WORKS – Q Theatre, SEE HOW THEY RUN and A SMALL FAMILY BUSINESS – Marian Street.
TV credits include THE MAVIS BRAMSTON SHOW, THE SULLIVANS, KINGSWOOD COUNTRY, A TOWN LIKE ALICE, PRISONER, NEIGHBOURS, WONDERLAND, RAKE, BLACK COMEDY and READY FOR THIS.
Films: WAKE IN FRIGHT, THE BIG WISH, LOOK BOTH WAYS, and the 25th Tropfest short film festival prize winner, THE MOTHER SITUATION. First female recipient of MEAA/Foxtel Lifetime Achievement Award and proud member of MEAA since 1962.
Socratis Otto
Cast
Jamie Oxenbould
Cast
Anna Tregloan
Set and Costume Designer
Verity Hampson
Lighting Designer
Nate Edmondson
Nate is an international, multi-award winning Composer and Sound Designer for film, television, stage and advertising.
Nate’s theatre credits include: For STC: THREE SISTERS, CLOUD NINE, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, ROMEO AND JULIET. For STC / Force Majeure: NEVER DID ME ANY HARM. For Belvoir: MARK COLVIN’S KIDNEY, MORTIDO, SEVENTEEN, THIS HEAVEN. For Bell Shakespeare: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THE TEMPEST, ROMEO AND JULIET, MACBETH, THE WINTER’S TALE. For Griffin: THE HAM FUNERAL, MinusOneSister, CARESS/ACHE, THE WITCHES, MUSIC, JUMP FOR JORDAN, RUST AND BONE, THIS YEAR’S ASHES. For Malthouse: SALOME, LORD OF THE FLIES. For Darlinghurst Theatre: SAVAGES, GOOD WORKS, DAYLIGHT SAVING, ALL MY SONS, TORCH SONG TRILOGY, THE GREENING OF GRACE, THE SEAFARER, THE PARIS LETTER. For Rockefeller Productions: THAT GOLDEN GIRLS SHOW! [US], THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR SHOW [Global]. For Sport For Jove: OF MICE AND MEN. For Street Theatre: ALL MY SONS [UK].
Stephanie Lindwall
Stephanie is a graduate of the Australian Academy of Dramatic Art.
As Stage Manager: THE RASPUTIN AFFAIR, BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, GOOD PEOPLE (Ensemble Theatre), HOOTING AND HOWLING (Critical Stages Regional Tour), SENIOR MOMENTS (Return Fire Productions), PRIDE, THE HORSES MOUTH FESTIVAL, BONDI FEAST (TRS), SET: THE PLAY (NIDA Independent), A VIEW FROM MOVING WINDOWS (Riverside Theatres), ON THE RAZZLE (AADA). As Swing Technician: THE REMOVALISTS (TRS), SAY HELLO FIRST (Cupboard Love). As Production Manager: (& Mentor) PLAYHOUSE CREATURES (AADA), SAY HELLO FIRST (Cupboard Love), BODY LANGUAGE (107 Projects), BEFORE/ AFTER (AADA). As Assistant Stage Manager: EMPIRE (TRS), THE WIZARD OF OZ (Packemin), THE WOODSTOCK EXPERIENCE (AIM), THE THREE LIVES OF LUCY CABROL (AADA). As Producer: GODS AND GAMES: NEW SHORT WORKS (AADA). As an Actor: TALKING WITH (Bare Productions), VARIOUS TVC, EMPIRE (TRS), HOME COOKING, SEX- ED (Eastside Radio), GRIMM TALES (Customs House), BEFORE/AFTER, GODS & GAMES: NEW SHORT WORKS, A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM, THE SKRIKER (AADA).
Erin Shaw
Graduating from the Technical Theatre and Stage Management course at NIDA in 2016, Erin has previously worked in the industry as a dresser on GIRL ASLEEP (Belvoir, 2016); stage manager on LITTLE BORDERS (The 505, 2017), MOTH (ATYP, 2017), and LOVE, ME (The 505, 2018); and assistant stage manager on DIPLOMACY (Ensemble Theatre, 2018) and BLISS (Belvoir, 2018).
Erin feels privileged to have worked with such an incredible team on this production and looks forward to the season.
Renata Beslik
Costume Supervisor
Linda Nicholls-Gidley
Dialect Coach
Nigel Poulton
Fight DirectorDirector's Note
Upon its release in 1956, the film version of BABY DOLL provoked virulent threats from protestors, bans from religious leaders, and flippancy from critics who dismissed it as a lurid tale of a virgin child bride, her sexually frustrated husband, and her smarmy lover. A collaboration between Tennessee Williams and director Elia Kazan, BABY DOLL inspired such outrage that it was condemned from the pulpit of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral by Cardinal Francis Spellman. Re-examining BABY DOLL through a contemporary theatrical lens has allowed us to explore the continually evolving and shifting beliefs regarding a woman’s right to autonomy and control over her sexuality. Together we’ve interrogated the complex and nuanced conversation surrounding Affirmative Consent, the many roles women are forced to “perform” in order to manoeuvre their way through an unbalanced system where the male gaze is omnipresent, and to question the permanence and depth of exciting social changes that have been made slowly but progressively towards righting that imbalance. It feels like a dangerous conversation to be having in 2019 and I have questioned my own privilege as a white, male storyteller in this process. I have faced the conundrum of not wanting to speak on behalf of anyone yet at the same time wishing to engage with the conversation. I hope that this production inspires further interrogation of a system that Williams and Kazan were clearly lampooning back in 1956, but which is still unfortunately pervasive today. BABY DOLL was programmed following a staged reading I directed at Ensemble Theatre whilst a recipient of the Ensemble Theatre Sandra Bates Directors Award. I am very grateful for Ensemble Theatre’s support and for the opportunity to work with such an incredible cast and creative team. It has been a joy.
Shaun Rennie – Director
Photo Gallery
Watch the video
Download the program
Want to know more about Tennessee Williams’ tale of lust, jealousy and betrayal? The BABY DOLL downloadable program is full of exciting extra tidbits about the show. You’ll find a director’s note from Shaun Rennie, synopsis, photos of the cast in rehearsals plus more!