Season 2023

Sunday
By Anthony Weigh
Directed by Sarah Goodes

This production contains the use of dynamic sound, herbal cigarettes, theatrical haze, coarse language, sexual references and some nudity. 

Recommended for ages 15+ / Year 10+

Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• References to extremist groups – “fascists” and “communists”
• Nudity – recounting of a story of a woman stripping, a character in the bath
• Queerphobic slurs – “ponces”, “poofs”, Negative and transphobic inferences about dressing in feminine clothing and calling the character ‘Susannah’ as a form of punishment
• Sexism – labelling mothers as “moronic housewives”
• Overtly sexual language – character propositions another to “wank” him off in the bathroom and ongoing references of this event
• Suicide – repeated references to character killing themselves, character casually comments about drowning herself or overdosing on pills.
• Murder – reference to suspected conspiracy to murder
• Accidental / tragic death – reference to death caused by botulism, reference to being killed by firing squad
• Mental health – references to mental health institution
• Addiction – references to overuse of pills for sleep, excessive consumption of alcohol
• Swearing and offensive language throughout
• Violence – references to fights between men, gun use, war, strangling
• Graphic violent imagery – character in pain from thorns sticking into them
• Adultery – two of the characters have an affair
• Classism – references to “the common people” and “wealthy dilettantes”
• Infertility/Motherhood – references to infertility “barren”, character struggles with being a mother, references to motherhood as a “burden”, “lack of maternal instinct” and absence of children
• Struggle with parental figures – character denying/estranged from own parent
• Animal harm/death – reference to slaughtering chicken with a knife, reference to dead mouse
• Conversations about death – casual conversations about death and dying

Physical enactments of:

• Verbal/psychological abuse
• Character wields a knife
• Use of weapons to inflict harm, including harming children
• Yelling, screaming and shouting
• Kissing
• Sexual intercourse – two characters have intercourse while another watches
• Intimate touching
• Nudity – character lying in a bath
• Physical contact between children and adults – kissing child, peck on cheek
• Alcohol – drinking of alcohol throughout play
• Smoking – smoking throughout play

Prima Facie
by Suzie Miller
Directed by Lee Lewis

This production contains mature themes, sexual references and descriptions of sexual violence.

Recommended for ages 16+ / Year 11+

Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• Mental Health - repeated references to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), mental breakdowns, psychological impacts of sexual abuse/trauma, psychological impacts of an unjust court system
• Addiction - references to excessive drinking and drugs
• Violence - references to fights/fighting
• Ethics and the law - mention of winning over doing what is morally right
• Conversations about death

Physical description of:

• Fight scene - character struggles, bites and kicks while being sexually assaulted.
• Use of blood/gore - woman with blood, bruising on her face
• Extreme distress
• Vomiting
• Self-harm - character digs nails into palm and legs to feel pain
• Kissing
• Strong sexual tension - while two characters are dancing
• Sexual intercourse
• Intimate touching
• Sexual assault
• Medical procedures - description of the use of a rape-kit to retrieve evidence

Bernhardt / Hamlet
by Theresa Rebeck
Directed by Anne-Louise Sarks

This production contains mature themes and sexual references.

Recommended for ages 15+ / Year 10+

Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• Culturally and religiously sensitive commentary - mention of Hamlet played by a Jewish woman
• Racially sensitive commentary - references to slavery
• Sex and Sexuality references - Queer references and gender swapping throughout, some of which may be perceived as transphobic.
• There are multiple sexist generalisations, female objectification sexual innuendo
• Death - Regular and repeated references to death throughout including murder (as depicted in Hamlet and Medea) and two references to suicide (including Hamlet’s suicidal thoughts, as written by William Shakespeare)
• Mental Health/Addiction - mention of Hamlet's unstable mental state and repeated references to drinking and smoking

Physical Enactments of:

• Rapier Duel
• Kissing
• Sexual Intercourse

Happy Days
By Samuel Beckett
Directed by Petra Kalive

This production contains the use of dynamic sound, smoke effect, partial nudity, mature themes and sexual references.

Recommended for ages 15+ / Year 10+

Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• Derogatory comments - blasphemy throughout
• Bodily mutilation/animal abuse - references to castration of a swine, rearing animals for slaughter
• Sexual language/innuendo - references to characters breasts, fornicating landscape
• Disability - inference to low quality of life due to character's mobility issues
• Mental health - inference of depression, mental distress
• Addiction - Characters excessive use of 'red medicine'
• Violent imagery - melting flesh, bursting into flames
• Conversations about death - metaphors and references of death are contained throughout including mention of child death and wishing death upon others.
• Suicide: one reference to someone putting themselves “out of their misery”.

Physical enactments of:

• Partial nudity – a character, naked with buttocks visible, pulls on a pair of underwear
• Use of weapon to inflict harm - character is struck with an umbrella, revolver is present but never used
• Sexual gestures - character clutches her bosom
• Fire on stage - Parasol catches fire

I Wanna Be Yours
By Zia Ahmed
Directed by Tasnim Hossain

This production contains sexual references, coarse language, references to racism and the use of theatrical haze.

Recommended for ages 14+ / Year 9+

Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• Discussion of culturally/religiously sensitive issues, including references to the practice of Islam, Sharia law, circumcision, observance of feast days, corporal punishment of children.
• The main character of Haseeb describes his experiences of racism, including references made by minor and unnamed characters to appearance, profiling, stereotypes including reference to members of the Pakistani community as drug dealers, gang members, child groomers.
• The main characters of Haseeb and Ella discuss cultural appropriation of African and Hindu cultures, black face and casual and indirect racism of other characters. There is a single reference to racist attacks in Reykjavik.
• One character makes a passing reference to ‘teen suicide’ in the context of a depressing play set in northern England.
• Substance abuse: the script references excessive alcohol consumption, recreational drug use, and the dealing of illegal drugs.
• Violent Imagery - metaphoric description of cutting of tongue; references to news reports of a violent attack on a mosque
• Relationships, sexuality: discussion of physical intimacy, young adults living together, emotional impact of an intimate relationship.

This content guide has been updated in December 2022 to reflect the published version of the script and the director’s intentions for the Melbourne Theatre Company production.

Jacky
By Declan Furber Gillick
Directed by Mark Wilson

This production contains moments of racism/racist slurs, sexual themes, some nudity, frequent coarse language and mature themes. 

Recommended for ages 16+ / Year 11+

Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• Racially sensitive commentary/General discrimination towards a race/Racial slurs – different experiences because of skin colour, racial profiling, fetishisation of First Nations men, racist comments and behaviour including offensive racist slurs
• Race and the Law – references to injustices faced by First Nations people including and incarceration and mistreatment.
• Struggles with gender identity/sexuality – a character has their first queer experience with a rent boy
• Cheating/affairs – two characters are divorcing,
• Objectification – money exchanged for sexual activity, fetishisation of “black men”
• Sex Work – a characters judgement towards sex workers
• Overtly sexual language – one character asks to see another character's penis, references to being penetrated, reference to “big black cock”
• Addiction – reference to alcohol problems, smoking and drug issues, character appears visibly drunk
• Financial hardship – a character needs to fire staff due to lack of government funding, references to community support organisations
• Conversations about death – references to mothers ill health and life expectancy

Physical enactments of:

• Character raises belt to strike another in a sexual manner
• Intimate touching
• Male nudity

Is God Is
by Aleshea Harris
Directed by Zindzi Okenyo & Shari Sebbens

This production contains smoke/haze effects, coarse language, mature themes, sexual references, references to domestic and sexual violence and depictions of graphic violence, suicide and drug use.

Recommended for ages 15+ / Year 10+

Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• Culturally/religiously sensitive commentary - biblical references throughout
• Gender identity/sexuality - character alludes to having a crush on another boy
• Incest - characters plan to dance naked for their brothers
• Sexual Language / Objectification / innuendo - reference to reproductive fluid, inference characters are strippers, sexual loaded comments "put those titties on my neck"
• Death - attempted suicide from overdose, recounting of previous attempted suicide, other references to suicide, suspected death through fire, discussion of death and ways of dying
• Murder - reference to attempted murder through arson, description of murdering father, conspiring to murder with poison and stabbing, stabbing character in the back and killing them
• Violence - description of attacking classmates, repeated references to being deliberately set alight, references to gripping throats and being beaten as children
• Addiction - references to addiction to pills and alcohol
• Dysfunctional families - Characters struggle without parents to exist in the world

Physical enactments of:

• Fighting - tackling, wrestling, slapping, kicking, hitting with a rock-filled sock
• Makeup effects - two characters have scars on their bodies from being burnt
• Act of Killing / murdering / violence - characters hit and bludgeoned to death with a sock filled with rocks, stabbing in the back with a knife, soaking a man in alcohol before setting him alight, choking
• Screaming - character repeatedly screams after being stabbed in the back
• Sexual gestures / intimacy - characters dance provocatively, one character gives another a lap dance,
• Nudity / partial nudity - characters are dressed provocatively, character may be nude or semi-nude
• Portrayal addictive behaviours - excessive consumption of alcohol and prescription drugs
• Portrayal of serious illness - character lies on her deathbed
• Grotesque behaviour - one character hands over pieces of another characters dismembered body

Bloom
Book and Lyrics by Tom Gleisner
Music by Kate Weston
Directed by Dean Bryant

This production contains coarse language, mature themes and sexual references.

Recommended for ages 13+ / Year 8+

Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• Racially sensitive commentary - inference of slavery as staff feel overworked
• Overtly sexual language/innuendo - one character wants to paint another nude
• Loss of a loved one - Multiple mentions of the passing of a loved one
• Serious illness - references to dementia
• Mental Health - references to lack of mental health support for the elderly
• Addiction - references to prescription medication for elderly patients, recreational use of marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes
• Dysfunctional/separated families - inference of divorce and custody of children
• Living with financial hardship - reference to lack of funding/support for the elderly leading to mistreatment
• Fire/Arson - description and enactment of uncontrolled fire within elderly home
• Mistreatment of elderly - description of mistreatment and lack of compassion
• Conversations about death - multiple references to end of life for and by patients within elderly home

Physical enactments of:

• Partial male nudity
• Smoking

Escaped Alone
By Caryl Churchill
Directed by Anne-Louise Sarks

This production features several full lighting blackouts, dynamic sound, contains coarse language, mature themes, sexual references and references to domestic violence.

Recommended for ages 14+ / Year 9+

 Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• Derogatory/dismissive comments towards different minority groups (POC & Irish)
• Culturally/religiously sensitive commentary - derogatory reference to religious sects
• Vilification of politicians/personal attacks - derogatory comment towards President Bush and a fascist America
• Struggles with gender identity/sexuality - mention of punishment for gender dimorphism
• Suicide - mention of presidents committing suicide
• Murder - Frequent conversations/references to murder
• Accident/ tragic death or graphic injury - mention of drowned bodies, dying of thirst, blood, thrashing about, miscarriages, death of bird, children falling asleep and not waking up
• Serious illness - mention of cancer
• Swearing/offensive language
• Violence - References to domestic violence, self-defence, bombing, terrorism, arson by children
• Dysfunctional families - References to murdering husbands, affairs, domestic violence, absent parents due to incarceration

What If If Only
By Caryl Churchill
Directed by Anne-Louise Sarks

This production contains mature themes and references to suicide.

Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• Racially sensitive commentary - mention of slaves & genocide
• Suicide - reference to contemplation of suicide
• Murder - references to poisoning
• Violence - reference to wars
• Conversations about death - references throughout about dying/suicide, afterlife, ghosts/spirits

My Sister Jill
By Patricia Cornelius
Directed by Susie Dee

This production contains haze effects, coarse language, mature themes, some nudity, sexual references, racial slurs, domestic violence and descriptions of military conflict and PTSD.

Recommended for ages 13+ / Year 8+

Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• Menstrual cycles
• Mental health - repeated references to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a refusal to acknowledge mental health impacts of this
• Addiction - repeated references to alcohol abuse
• Violence/Domestic Violence - references to fighting Nazi's in WW2 and police brutality, repeated references/inference of domestic violence
• Violent imagery - recounting an attack during the war, "split and full of pus", "maggots crawling out of foot cuts", "tried to drink their blood"
• Conversations about death - references of lives lost in WW2, character wishes death upon another character

Physical enactments of:

• War scenarios - throughout the play a character imagines what it would be like to be in a war (shootings, grenades, on the alert)
• Fight scene - hair is grabbed
• Make-up effects - character reveals bruises, cuts and rashes
• Torture/violence towards another - hitting one twin to see if the other feels pain
• Nudity - bare buttocks seen when a character changes their pyjamas

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill
by Lanie Robertson
Directed by Mitchell Butell

This production contains coarse language, references to sexual assault and racial slurs, depiction of drug and alcohol use, herbal cigarettes and haze.

Recommended for ages 15+ / Year 10+

 Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• Racial slurs - repeated mention of the 'n' word to refer to African Americans, use of the word 'coloreds' and 'cotton pickers' as segregating terms
• Racially sensitive commentary - repeated references to slavery, segregation, racial superiority, non-white interactions with the law, mistreatment of African American people, police brutality, racial profiling, lynching’s, burnt bodies, death, torture, stereotyping
• Child sexual abuse - reference to being raped as a child with violent imagery
• Loss of a loved one - references throughout to mourning, grief and loss of loved ones including parents
• Addiction - references throughout to excessive drug and alcohol use
• Violence - recounting of being sent to war and after effects of injuries
• Dysfunctional or separated families/divorce - references to divorce
• Underage marriage
• Domestic violence
• Conversations about death

A Very Jewish Christmas Carol
Book by Elise Esther Hearst with Philip Kavanagh
Directed by Sarah Giles

This production contains coarse language, mature themes, haze, smoke and strobe effects.

Recommended for ages 13+ / Year 8+

Scripted Dialogue contains description, mention or reference to:

• Culturally/religious sensitive commentary - historical reference to oppression of Jewish people
• Overtly sexual language/innuendo - multiple references to sex, innuendo and sexuality
• Death - humorous reference to murdering a child, the loss of a loved one is mentioned throughout, references to suicide, death, dying and ghosts.
• Medical - References to female reproductive system and addiction (smoking, alcohol)
• Violence - Reference to war
• Dysfunctional families - multiple mentions of dysfunctional family dynamics