Black Light

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY JADA ALBERTS 

 

The only light left is Black

13 FEB – 7 MAR

Merlyn

WORLD PREMIERE 

13 FEB – 7 MAR

$55–$85

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In a family home on the outskirts of Darwin, four Larrakia mothers find themselves stuck together, on the precipice of a drastically changing world.  

Black Light is a play about finding our way back to ourselves, to Country and to the people we love, when everything else tries to tear us apart. 

Things are uneasy in town. No one’s sure what’s going on, or how long it’s going to last. Fuel is scarce, so is water, military jets fly overhead and all other flights are grounded. The only choice they have is to wait it out. Together. 

The eldest in the family is Nan – she has dementia and finds it difficult to make sense of the world. The youngest is Bub. Recently separated from their wife, Bub is struggling to find stability and parent alone. Aunty and Mum are sisters and yet polar opposites. They nitpick at each other, barely able to conceal their disdain. There's so much history between them all, so much water under the bridge, and none of it clean. 

What emerges while they wait, are the deeply ingrained fears they're all carrying. The pain and the wisdom. In the stillness, it all seems ever-present. But Country is speaking louder now and it cannot be ignored. 

Black Light is written by renowned playwright Jada Alberts (writer and director of Aretha: A Love Letter, Brothers Wreck and director of Seven Stages of Grieving) and stars sisters Rachael and Lisa Maza, as well as Tahlee Fereday. This work brings you on a deeply personal journey as it explores the complexities of intergenerational wisdom, trauma and survival in a colonial world.

BUB

TAHLEE FEREDAY

MUM

LISA MAZA

AUNTY

RACHAEL MAZA

WRITER & DIRECTOR

JADA ALBERTS

SET & COSTUME DESIGNER

DALE FERGUSON

LIGHTING DESIGNER

JENNY HECTOR

COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER

KELLY RYALL

STAGE MANAGER

JESS KEEPENCE

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

ROSEMARY OSMOND

EVENT & TICKETING DETAILS

PERFORMANCE TIMES

Previews

7.30pm, Fri 13 Feb
7.30pm, Sat 14 Feb
6.30pm, Mon 16 Feb
7.30pm, Tue 17 Feb

In Season

6.30pm, Mon
7.30pm, Tue–Sat
2pm, Sat 21 Feb

Open & Closed Captioning

2pm, Sat 21 Feb

Time to Talk

7.30pm, Tue 24 Feb

DURATION

Approximately 100 minutes, no interval

LOCATION

Merlyn Theatre

Malthouse, 113 Sturt St, Southbank 3006

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CONTENT NOTES

This production is in development. Content warnings will be updated closer to the production.

If you would like to speak with us about specific content, please contact box office on (03) 9685 5111 or email boxoffice@malthousetheatre.com.au.

ACCESSIBILITY

Wheelchair Access
Assistive Listening
Aural Rating 50%
Visual Rating 50%

Aural Rating: 50% – this production has both sound and visual components, but sight isn’t essential to be able to engage with the event. 

Visual Rating 50% – includes dialogue and background music or sounds, so Deaf and hard of hearing audiences can have some engagement with the event. 

Please visit our access page for more information about accessibility services.

Campaign image by Nicole Reed 
Hair and make-up by Nisal Atapattu