Sydney Theatre Company’s live reading of No Pay? No Way!
Photo: Prudence Upton
Sydney Theatre Company's next phase of Sydney Theatre Company Virtual is a live reading of Marieke Hardy’s adaptation of Dario Fo’s political farce No Pay? No Way!
The play delighted audiences during its world premiere season at the Sydney Opera House in February/March before the season was cut short due to the public health crisis.
Streaming live from each of their homes, the cast and crew will reunite to perform a full reading of the play. Directed by Sarah Giles, starring Helen Thomson, Catherine Văn-Davies, Glenn Hazeldine, Rahel Romahn and Aaron Tsindos, Time Out called the production "A ferociously funny piece of political theatre... blessed with a first-rate cast of Sydney theatre’s best comedic players."
After undertaking a day of remote re-rehearsal, the cast and crew will raise the virtual curtain at 7.30pm Thursday 28 May to perform an entire reading of the play, complete with stage directions.
STC’s Artistic Director Kip Williams said, “It’s a rare privilege to witness a group of actors so well prepared for a live reading event like this one. Right up until the early cancellation of the No Pay? No Way! season, this cast was onstage, every night, giving it their all. They were living and breathing this hilarious show.”
He continues, “when we first programmed No Pay? No Way! we knew that Sarah and Marieke’s production would have sharp and timely commentary to make about the moment we’re living in. We just didn’t realise how prescient the show would turn out to be: supermarket riots, landlords and tenants thrown into crisis, it’s all there in this play that was first written over 40 years ago…”
About the play: Prices are out of control – and so is Antonia. Sick of having barely enough to pay the gas bill, she leads an uprising at a local supermarket that sees a group of angry housewives shoplift ‘til they drop. Now, with a pile of newly “liberated” loot, Antonia and her best friend Margherita embark on a ludicrous, laugh-a-minute escapade, keeping their well-meaning but bumbling husbands in the dark and staying three steps ahead of the coppers.
Pricing and ticket information
Event live stream: Thursday 28 May 7.30pm
A recording will also be available on demand: Friday 29 May - Wednesday 3 June
Approx. duration 2hrs 20mins (including interval).
Tickets will be available from the Sydney Theatre Company website for a ‘pay what you can’ price of $0, $5, $10, $15, $20 or $25.
Tickets and more information: https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/whats-on/productions/2020/no_pay_no_way_reading