WAAPA is set to bring the award-winning musical Renascence to Australian audiences for the first time, with performances running from March 27 to April 1 at the Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA.
With music by acclaimed WAAPA alumna Carmel Dean, lyrics by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, and a book by Dick Scanlan, Renascence tells the story of Millay’s early life and artistic awakening. The production is directed by Katt Osborne, with musical direction by Joe Louis Robinson, musical supervision by Carmel Dean, and choreography by Tyrone Earl Lrae Robinson. It will be performed by WAAPA’s talented Third Year Music Theatre students.
The musical explores the journey of a young woman whose poem Renascence, written at just 19, catapulted her from rural obscurity to literary fame. Using Millay’s own poetry as lyrics, the show captures her bold spirit, creative struggles, and the sacrifices of living as an artist.
Director Katt Osborne describes the work as “a piece that invites audiences into the poetry of both the everyday and the bigger questions of life itself. It explores the energy, talent, labour, and sacrifice required to live as an artist and as a human in the world.”
Composer Carmel Dean, who has long been inspired by Millay’s writing, says the poet was “an incredible writer, bold thinker and dreamer, who lived 100 years ago and was well ahead of her time.”
Structured in three acts, Renascence traces Millay’s journey from her youth in rural Maine to her emergence as a celebrated poet. The final act takes audiences inside her creative mind as her defining poem unfolds on stage, revealing how the experience shaped her identity and career.
Named Best New Musical at the 2018 Off-Broadway Alliance Awards, Renascence is a moving and lyrical exploration of identity, creativity, and the power of words.
Performance Details
Venue: Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA, 174–176 William Street, Perth
Dates: Friday March 27 – 7:30pm; Saturday March 28 – 2pm (Matinee) and 7:30pm; Monday March 30 – 7:30pm; Tuesday 31 March 31 – 7:30pm and Wednesday April 1 – 7:30pm
Duration: About 2 hours 30 minutes (including interval)
Age Recommendation: 15+
Content Warnings: Mature themes, sexual references, coarse language, strobe lighting, smoke and haze effects
Tickets:
$60 Full | $55 Concession | $53 Friends
Bookings: (08) 6212 9292
Online: https://shorturl.at/OSnWD
