
Writer /
Alistair Baldwin
Sam’s adoring subscribers would describe him as an icon, and Instagram’s honey of disability pride. Sam would describe himself as having one foot in the grave, the other in the bed of his latest hook up—turns out a rare degenerative disease is just what you need to live a little #itsgivingblessed
After rising to fame as the poster child of Perth Children’s Hospital 2007 Telethon, Sam reunites alongside his paediatric doctor-come-lover when they are nominated for a coveted research grant from big pharma. In a sexy ethical nightmare, the influencer's platform probes the shortcomings of an industry that repeatedly fights those whom it’s meant to help.
Comedian, thought leader, and disabled ingenue Alistair Baldwin’s debut comedy starring Ashley Apap, Max Brown (Nosferatu), Effie Nkrumah and William Rees, and directed by Besen Family Artist Program 2020 alumni Hannah Fallowfield gleefully straddles the ambiguities of doctor-patient relationships and agency for self-expression.
Malthouse is committed to ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to enjoy the performances and programs we offer. Telethon Kid offers $40 tickets to Auslan Interpreted, Audio Described and Relaxed performances.
7pm Fri 4 Aug* & 7pm Tue 8 Aug
*The performance on 4 Aug is both Auslan Interpreted and Audio Described.
Or enter the promo code AUSLAN when booking tickets to Auslan Interpreted Performances
7 pm Fri 4 Aug* & 7pm Wed 9 Aug
*The performance on 4 Aug is both Auslan Interpreted and Audio Described.
Or enter promo code AUDIO when booking tickets to Audio Described performances.
1.30pm (matinee) Sat 12 Aug
Or enter the promo code RELAXED when booking tickets to Relaxed performances.
Download the Telethon Kid Access Guide by Zoe Boesen.
Writer /
Alistair Baldwin
Director /
Hannah Fallowfield
Cast (Evie) /
Ashley Apap
Cast (Doc) /
Max Brown
Cast (KT) /
Effie Nkrumah
Cast (Sam) /
William Rees
DRAMATURG /
MARK PRITCHARD
SET & COSTUME DESIGNER /
Christina Smith
LIGHTING DESIGNER /
Rachel Lee
COMPOSITION & SOUND DESIGNER /
Danni A. Esposito
STAGE MANAGER /
Cointha Walkeden
INTIMACY COORDINATOR /
Amy Cater
DISABILITY CULTURE & ACCESS CONSULTANT /
Zoe Boesen
VOCAL COACH /
Suzanne Heywood
VIDEO CREATION /
Peter Frith
INTERN (STAGE MANAGEMENT) /
Jessica Smart
INTERN ( WARDROBE) /
Mikailah Looker
INTERN (SET & COSTUME) /
Kiara Brown
CAMPAIGN IMAGE & PRODUCTION TRAILER /
Tamarah Scott
Download the working Telethon Kid Access Guide (screen reader friendly Access Guide).
See here for more information on accessibility at Malthouse.
Malthouse is equipped with a Hearing Assistance System. Please ask our front-of-house staff upon arrival if you would like to make use of this service.
For more detailed access information, please feel free to contact Zoe Boesen (Access Consultant) by phone: 0402 331 448 or via email: zoe@loom.org.au
All online orders incur a $4 booking fee per order
90 mins approx. (no interval)
This production contains use of smoke, haze and dynamic sound, derogatory and coarse language, discussions of disability, chronic illness and chronic pain, grooming and medical consent, death and dying, sexual assault and drug consumption, and depictions of ableism, sexual intimacy, partial nudity, death, alcohol consumption, medical procedures, and medical and hospital imagery, devices and treatments.
All warnings are subject to change, please check back closer to the time of performance for an updated list of potentially sensitive content.
FREQUENT COARSE AND DEROGATORY LANGUAGE
The following coarse language is used frequently throughout the show:
Fuck, Fucking
The following derogatory terms and coarse language is used on occasion throughout the show:
Fugly, Faggot, Cocky bastard, Bitch, Genetic alien, Inbred
SEXUAL INTIMACY BETWEEN CONSENTING INDIVIDUALS AND PARTIAL NUDITY
There are multiple moments of explicit sexual intimacy between the characters of Sam and Doc. These simulations include but are not limited to: kissing, caressing, peer masturbation and anal sex. There is no full nudity on stage.
There is a scene where the ghost of Sam kisses Doc. During the kiss, Sam’s body becomes a corpse again.
FREQUENT DISCUSSION OF DISABILITY, CHRONIC ILLNESS AND CHRONIC PAIN
The story is set at a fictional conference for rare diseases. The audience meets the character of Sam, who has compound heterozygous titin myopathy type 2a. The audience also follows the story of Evie who has Rheumatoid Arthritis and ADHD. Consequently, there is frequent discussion surrounding both Sam and Evie’s specific disabilities, as well as disability in general – including but not limited to treatments and medical trials, the medicalization and pathologizing of disabled people, infantilization and paternalism within the medical system, the desexualizing of disabled bodies, and the monetization and exploitation of disability and chronic illness in the medical industry.
FREQUENT DEPICTIONS OF ABLEISM
There are frequent depictions of ableism within the text. This includes but is not limited to:
Disabled people being reduced to their medical diagnoses
Non-disabled characters telling disabled characters how they should feel, what decisions to make and what they should do with their bodies
Denial of personal agency, particularly as it relates to disabled women
Infantilization and paternalism within the medical system and broader society
The desexualizing of disabled people
Monetization and exploitation of disability and chronic illness
Abuse of power dynamics by non-disabled characters in positions of authority
Pity and the victimization of disabled people
Charity and non-disabled heroism
Multiple discussions about medical conditions being named after the non-disabled doctors who researched them, instead of the disabled people who experience them
Devaluation of the lived experience of disabled people
FREQUENT DEPICTIONS OF MEDICAL AND HOSPITAL IMAGERY, DEVICES AND TREATMENTS
Including but not limited to:
Syringes
Stock video of healthy children depicting sick children
Microscopic images of internal tissue
Pills and other medications
DISCUSSION OF GROOMING AND MEDICAL CONSENT
After having sexual relations, the characters of Sam and Doc have a detailed discussion about whether Doc groomed Sam, and the ethics, blurred lines and nuances of medical consent.
REFERENCES TO DEATH, DYING AND MORTALITY
Throughout the show, there are multiple references to death, dying and mortality.
In a light-hearted manner, the character of Sam references multiple occurrences of nearly dying as a child.
There are multiple conversations surrounding mortality, and what it means to truly live.
REFERENCES TO SEXUAL ASSAULT
There is a plotline in the play where Doc is investigating a series of sexual assaults committed by a doctor who attempted to pass them as medical examinations, specifically an examination of the lymph nodes, to his patients. The fictional medical corporation in the piece, Geneuris, covers the assaults up. The perpetrator is not a character we see on stage and no sexual assault is depicted on stage.
DEPICTIONS OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
There are multiple occurrences where the characters depict the consumption of alcohol and being intoxicated.
DEPICTION OF A MEDICAL PROCEDURE
At the end of the play, the character of Doc depicts undertaking a tissue extraction procedure on a corpse.
REFERENCES TO DRUG CONSUMPTION
There are multiple mentions of the consumption of weed but no character takes any onstage
PRODUCTION WARNINGS
Use of loud and dynamic sound
Partial nudity – actors in underwear.
An immersive theatre mystery
More info