Escaped Alone and What If If Only

Melbourne Theatre Company’s captivating double bill featuring two distinct and powerful works by the legendary playwright, Caryl Churchill, premieres this Friday 11 August at the Southbank Theatre.

Directed by Melbourne Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, Anne-Louise Sarks, What If If Only and Escaped Alone are presented side-by-side for the very first time, offering audiences a profound and thought-provoking theatrical experience.

Caryl Churchill is a multiple Obie Award-winner and widely celebrated as one of the world’s greatest living playwrights. Her play What If If Only is a micro-meditation on grief and possibility, starring Alison Bell, while Escaped Alone is a visionary play starring Helen Morse alongside Kate Hood, Debra Lawrance and Deidre Rubenstein, exploring afternoon tea and the apocalypse.

In Escaped Alone, four women gather in a garden, engaging in conversations that intertwine personal anecdotes with the telling of catastrophic events, resulting in a darkly humorous yet poignant exploration of survival and resilience in the face of terrifying circumstances.

On the other hand, What If If Only delves into the realm of loss and acceptance, as a partner contemplates a world without their loved one, painting a vivid picture of life, death, and the complexities of letting go.

Alison Bell in What If If Only. Photo by Pia Johnson.

"I am incredibly honoured to present two of Caryl Churchill’s brilliant works, What If If Only and Escaped Alone together for the first time." said Sarks.

"Caryl Churchill’s use of language has a rhythm and musicality akin to great poetry, often affiliated only to Shakespeare’s works. She has this ability to elevate the domestic while grounding the epic, capturing the absurdities of everyday life and revealing to audiences new possibilities and alternative ways of seeing and being."

"Churchill’s writing across both works invites audiences on a timely thematic journey of survival, resilience, loss and acceptance."

What If If Only and Escaped Alone will play for a strictly limited season at Melbourne Theatre Company’s Southbank Theatre.

Escaped Alone Cast Kate Hood, Debra Lawrance, Helen Morse, Deidre Rubenstein
What If If Only Cast Lucy Ansell, Alison Bell, Steve Mouzakis, Anna Francesca Armenia, Iopu Auva’a, Sepideh Fallah, Jalen Ong, Tomas Parrish
Director Anne-Louise Sarks
Set & Costume Designer Marg Horwell
Lighting Designer Paul Jackson
Composer & Sound Designer Jethro Woodward
Voice & Text Coach Geraldine Cook-Dafner
Assistant Director Brigid Gallacher