The Writer
Vanessa Bates
Vanessa Bates. Image COURTESY OF TROYEUR
An award winning playwright, Vanessa writes for theatre, television and radio. Her plays include Awkward Dancing, Trailer, Light Begins To Fade, Every Second, The Magic Hour, PORN.CAKE, Checklist For An Armed Robber, Chipper, and Darling Oscar. She adapted A Ghost In My Suitcase for Barking Gecko at Melbourne International Arts Festival, Sydney Festival and Perth International Arts Festival.
Vanessa has been produced by the Sydney Theatre company, Malthouse Theatre, Barking Gecko, Belvoir B-Sharp, Griffin, Vitalstatistix, Deckchair, The Ensemble, Australian Theatre for Young People, Tantrum, Stooged, Freewheels and has written several plays for ABC Radio.
Produced radio plays include MinceMeat, To Dance In the Night Air, A Little Bit Each Night, The Elephants Ark and an adaptation for radio of Checklist For An Armed Robber. For television, she has written for series 2 and 3 of East West 101 (SBS), Play School (ABCTV) and Rush (Ch10). She also wrote AWGIE nominated documentary script 900 Neighbours (ABCTV). She also wrote short films Pop’s Dream and The HoneyEaters. She was a writer on All Our Eggs, an online series based on her narrative non-fiction book Legs Up And Laughing.
Vanessa is currently commissioned by The Ensemble and is also writing a new large scale children’s play: Captain Dalisay.
Vanessa has won a NSW Premier’s Literary Award, AWGIE Award, Inscription Chairman’s Award, Inscription New Work Award. She has been shortlisted for AWGIEs (for writing television, documentary and theatre), the Victorian Premier’s New Play Award, Griffin Award, STC Patrick White Award, Theatre 503 New Play Award, and the Newton-John Award. She was awarded a Varuna Residency and a Keesing Studio Residency at the Cite Institute des Arts, Paris.
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Wit Incorporated had a chat with Vanessa Bates about her practice in general, and Every Second in particular. Hear more from our playwright below.
The Director
Emma Drysdale
Emma is a British actress trained at Central School of Speech and Drama and has been living 'Down Under' for two years. Credits in Melbourne include: 'Madwomen Monologues' (The Butterfly Club), 'Red Hollywood' (MC Showroom), ‘The Beautiful Game’ (Chapel off Chapel) 'Six Degrees in a Hot Melbourne Market' (Gasworks) Midsumma hit 'Eyes Wide Woke' and radio play 'The Lucas Betrayal' both with Bitten By Productions. Over the last six months Emma has been performing Shakespeare over Zoom with the International Actors Ensemble and voicing characters for 'Big Words, Small Stories' a new animation series for ABC Kids. Credits in London include the Olivier award-winning 'Goodnight Mr Tom' (West End/UK Tour), 'That Face' (Tara Arts Theatre) ‘BBC Prom 19: Sondheim at 80’ (Royal Albert Hall).
Emma is making her directorial debut in Melbourne with Wit Incorporated. Directing credits in the UK include co-directing and producing 'Four Femmes on the Thames' (Edinburgh Festival, Various London venues, Winners of the Musical Comedy Awards 2018). Emma directed and wrote many shows with her theatre school in the UK with performances at the Arts Theatre West End & Michael Croft Theatre.
From the Director
Emma Drysdale
As a ‘thirty-something’ navigating my own way through ‘adult life’, I was immediately moved by Vanessa Bates’ play. The fast-paced journey she takes her audience on, jumping from hilarity to heart-break, is punchy and surprising. With 1 in 6 couples experiencing fertility challenges, this is very real subject matter, something countless audience members will relate to. Most of us will know a couple who have been struggling to conceive, but how many of us will contemplate the emotional burden it can add to their relationship? It has been great to open up these discussions and observe from both male and female perspectives.
Popping my ‘directorial cherry’ with Wit Incorporated has been a hugely rewarding experience. A company that puts the wellbeing and safety of their artists first and believes in making theatre sustainable and accessible for all. I am privileged to be helping to tell Vanessa Bates’ story (inspired by her own struggles to conceive) in a time when storytelling and community has never felt more important.
- Emma Drysdale, 2021
The Artists
Core creative team
Director: Emma Drysdale
Cast:
Jen - Lansy Feng
Meg - Madeleine Magee Carr
Bill - Richard Mealey
Tim - Riley Nottingham
Production Manager: El Boydell
Stage Manager: Reis Low
Costume Designer: Gabby Carbon
Sound Designer: Nathan Santamaria
Set Designer: Riley Tapp
Lighting Designer: Jack Wilkinson
Assistant Director + FoH: Lucy Seale
Operators: Nathan Santamaria + Jack Wilkinson
Other contributors
Intimacy Coach: Jacinta Scadden
Choreographer: Sophie Loughran
Publicist: Mark Salvestro
Photographer (hero image): Sarah Clarke
Photographer (production): Jack Dixon-Gunn
Graphic Designer: Ashley Tardy
The Company
Wit Incorporated is an award-winning, artist-led theatre company based in Melbourne's west, creating sustainable, accessible theatre inspired by the community in which it’s made.
The company began in Footscray in 2014, by Jennifer Piper and Belinda Campbell, from a desire to create theatre that presented characters who reflect the world outside of the play.
In 2020, after years of hard work establishing Wit Incorporated, Jennifer and Belinda handed over leadership of the company to Lansy Feng and El Boydell.
The same year, Wit Incorporated became a City of Maribyrnong Triennial Arts Partner.
We offer great theatre, that inspires change. We value creativity, accessibility, sustainability, inclusion and kindness.
Known for creating great theatre that inspires change, we favour stories that explore or examine the intersection of gender, sexuality, culture, ability and identity, and we strive for proper representation on stage and ease of access for all.
Make art with us
We love theatre, and we’d love your support
Theatre is a vital part of a healthy, growing society. Sharing stories helps us to grow, learn and connect. Since 2014, we have worked to create accessible, sustainable theatre that reflects the experience of our people.
We value creativity, accessibility, sustainability, inclusion and kindness.
Wit Incorporated Inc is a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) so any donation over $2 is tax-deductible. Your financial contribution makes our artistic contribution possible.
