Professional artists with disabilities form new theatre company
Look Mum… No Hands!!! is a 60 minute roller-coaster ride created by performance ensemble indelabilityarts - a new inclusive theatre company working specifically with professional artists with disabilities.
This is the company’s first production which has been in development for about a year. It chronicles the stories of four individual performers who are struggling to be recognised as artists, not for, but in spite of their disabilities.
The work was created in 2015 with the support of Brisbane City Councils’ community development and capacity building grant and Brisbane Powerhouse. All performances will be AUSLAN interpreted through support from the Endeavour Foundation Endowment Challenge Fund.
It will have two performance seasons, at Redlands Performing Arts Centre and the Brisbane Powerhouse.
Look Mum… No Hands!!! is a first-hand account of the struggles and triumphs facing these performers in an industry focused on society’s idea of ‘perfection’. Created, written and performed by Brisbane artists, Madeleine Little, Michel LaBosse, Karen Lee Roberts and David Waldie; the audience will be exposed to some home-truths about the reality of living and working with a disability.
The work aims to challenge perceptions, create dialogue, entertain, and subtly or not so subtly ‘school’ the audience. The ensemble work together and individually to share their stories using a variety of performance techniques; song, spoken word, comedy including some audience participation, a bit of rap gone wrong and an attempted dance sequence.
Karen’s story is one of late diagnosis, mental breaks, shock therapy treatments and crazy antics, Michel’s gentle soul and warm heart belie his wicked sense of humour which combined with the comedy of Dave Waldie promises to have the audience rolling in the aisles, and Madeleines’ musical prowess, sharp wit and comic timing has a sting in its tail that has been known to unsettle even the most arrogant of audiences.
Their stories are cleverly brought to the stage under the guise of a four comedy-hopefuls preparing to take to the stage at their local annual open-mic night at the Legless Bar.
Maddie plays the owner of the bar and MC for the night, David is the reigning champion from 2015, Karen is the trivia host, barmaid and runner up for 2015, and Michel is on another blind date, and they are all ready to test their material on the unsuspecting audience. Just remember, when you enter the Legless Bar, nothing will ever be the same again.
Following the performance there will be a Q&A session with the cast and creative producers of the show. Then later in the afternoon there will be a hands-on ‘Play-Building’ workshop - see workshop details at the bottom of this page.
Performance Times Redlands Performing Arts Centre:
Performance: Friday 2 September, 11 am, Workshop: Friday 2 September, 1 pm – 3 pm
Venue: Auditorium. Duration: Performance 60 minutes, no interval. Workshop 2 hours.
Prices: Performance $10. Performance and Workshop $15 Bookings: in person at RPAC Box Office, 2–16 Middle Street, Cleveland, by phone 07 3829 8131 (a $4.10 booking fee per transaction applies)
If you require mobility assistance please contact Redlands Performing Arts Centre Box Office so that we can accommodate your needs.
Performance Times Brisbane Powerhouse:
Wednesday 7—Saturday 10 September, Turbine Studio, 7 pm
Tickets $29 / $24 (conc) + transaction fee ($3/$6 multi)
Bookings: Phone (07) 3358 8600 or brisbanepowerhouse.org
More stories in Showbiz News.