Every Lovely Terrible Thing

Production images by Pia Johnson.

Stage

If you can stand up to your family you can stand up to anyone.

A two act, six character sprawling family drama, step inside the tumultuous world of the Colemans as they prepare to take on their greatest adversary yet: themselves.

Widowed matriarch Jerica yearns to sell the decaying family home and break free from her past. Her conservative son Charles seeks to reinvent himself as a modern publican and councillor, while his wife Phoebe doesn’t know what she wants – except that it’s probably not Charles. Meanwhile, underneath all their noses, reclusive grandchild Cooper forges an unlikely connection with Lachie, the enigmatic tradie tasked with repairing Jerica’s house.

Things are finally looking up for the Colemans until Jerica’s estranged, prickly daughter Brit returns home guarding a secret so big it threatens to blow up the entire family.

A universal tale of love, courage and intergenerational trauma, this darkly comedic new Australian play boldly examines why families stay together – and what happens when they can’t.

CREATIVE TEAM

Playwright Adam Fawcett
Director Justin Nott
Set Design Harry Gill
Lighting Design Sidney Younger
Sound Design Tom Backhaus
Costume Design Martelle Hunt
Video Design Aron Murray
Stage Manager Ashleigh Walwyn
Presenter Lab Kelpie & Theatre Works

Cast
Lyall Brooks
Emma Choy
Sharon Davis
Jordan Fraser-Trumble
Megan Jones
Wil King

PREMIERE SEASON

Venue Theatre Works, St Kilda
Dates 29 Feb – 16 Mar 2024
Performances 16

It has been a long time since I have seen an original Australian play with a really classic feel and timbre. I mean the kind of play which resonates with the depth of plays like Summer of The Seventeenth Doll or The One Day of The Year for example. Every Lovely Terrible Thing… sits, rather surprisingly, in that wheelhouse. [It is] a great piece of text-based theatre written with confidence and depth. The production elements and performances are excellent. A play to see and remember as part of the Australian canon. – What Did She Think?

A terrific ensemble that plays off each other with tremendous realism. Wonderful moments of zaniness. – Theatre Matters

Excels in the campy juxtaposition of humour and horror. – Limelight Magazine

Endlessly surprising and enigmatic. This two-hour dramedy breaks new ground by finding camp in an unlikely place: childhood trauma. – Australian Arts Review

A striking exploration of trauma and grief. – My Melbourne Arts

An explosion of the unexpected. – Weekend Notes

Co-presented by Lab Kelpie and Theatre Works and supported by the City of Port Phillip Cultural Development Fund, Creative Victoria and Australian Plays Transform.