SLAP. BANG. KISS.

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Three young people show it’s time to change the world.
Synopsis
SLAP. BANG. KISS. is about three teenagers, and the seemingly tiny actions that turn the world’s eyes toward them, the actions that unwittingly turn them into revolutionaries.
The slap happens outside 16-year-old Immi’s home in an area controlled by foreign security forces. Her freedoms and movement are restricted, and after a family tragedy, she sees a a security officer, a symbol of her oppression, and slaps him in the face.
The bang happens in a high school. 16-year-old Sofia is in class when a student pulls out a semi-automatic weapon and opens fire.
The kiss happens in the car park of a Wangaratta Woolworths, when 16-year-old Darby locks lips with classmate Daniel in an attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the longest kiss.
Telling their own stories in a fast-moving style of direct address, self-narration and short, sharp scenes where the performers play a range of characters, we watch the teens as these three moments kick-start a series of events that none of them anticipate.
In a moving speech before the world’s cameras, Sofia accidentally becomes the spokesperson for gun control; a photo of Immi mid-slap goes viral, and she becomes a symbol of resistance against occupation; Darby garners national attention after hoons chuck a Slurpee at him and Daniel, and a rapidly growing army of supporters gather to surround the boys with a human shield.
The plays tracks Immi, Sofia and Darby through their rapid rise to global attention and fame. From their small towns, classrooms and apartments, their images and messages are shared and re-shared and re-re-shared, and it’s at this point that their story becomes bigger than them, and becomes about us, the public – about how we mythologise these young people, creating the myth of them, building them out of ideas, making heroes out of them.
Short Reviews
Daily Review (on Merciless Gods)
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards
Video
Additional Videos
Technical Information
Lighting
A lighting pre-rig will be required (plans to follow)
30 lamps
8 side booms
Audio
Stereo left and right, plus sub
Staging
Will tour with a hazer
Transport Notes
1 tonne van (2 persons)
5 seater station wagon for cast and tour manager (4 persons)
Audience & Marketing Notes
school audiences years 11 and 12: this play is on the VCE Playlist
school audiences years 8-10: this play was commissioned specifically for these audiences
theatre / drama lovers: this production has Melbourne Theatre Company production values
Selling Points
- young actors playing young characters; young / school audiences will see themselves on stage
- topical issues of protesting against violence and oppression, and in support of freedom and diversity
- award-winning complementary education materials and no-cost / low-cost drama workshops
- Melbourne Theatre Company production values
- Award-winning script
- young actors with recent television credits
Community Engagement
Details
Genre
Audience
13 year+ & Schools
Venue Format
End-on audience venue - proscenium arch or black box studio
Duration
70 Minutes
Available Until (from - to)
23/06/2023
Budget & Fees
What are these? Find out more.In Development - work which will be produced and premiered in time for touring during 2022/2023. Please contact the Producer directly for Budgets and Fees.
Remount: $20,000
Weekly Sell Off: $15,000
Per Performance: $5000