WAAPA’s third-year Acting students are kicking off their final year of training with a daring double bill at Subiaco Arts Centre, performing two acclaimed contemporary plays — The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh and Dance Nation by Clare Barron — from March 26 to 31.
Presented in repertory with two distinct casts, the productions move from the apparent warmth of an Irish cottage to the fiercely competitive world of American dance, each revealing a darker, more unsettling side beneath the surface.
Directed by Anna Houston, McDonagh’s pitch-black comedy The Lieutenant of Inishmore is a ferocious satire on the absurdity of political violence. Set in 1993 on the island of Inishmore, County Galway, the story follows “Mad” Padraic, a fanatical Irish National Liberation Army member whose devotion to violent extremism is matched only by his love for his cat. When his beloved pet is found dead, chaos and carnage follow.
Anna Houston describes the play as “a biting evisceration of the violence and sectarianism that fed and perpetuated The Troubles,” adding that McDonagh “shines a provocative and absurdly comic light on one of the darkest chapters in Irish history.”
Directed by Alexandria Steffensen, Dance Nation takes audiences into the high-stakes world of pre-teen competitive dance. Written by Clare Barron, the play is a funny, fearless and confronting exploration of ambition, identity and the volatile power of female friendship. Adult actors portray the young dancers, heightening the play’s exploration of adolescence and self-discovery. Steffensen says the production “balances the familiar domestic world with the dark underbelly that lurks in the subtext,” and celebrates stories that centre the young female experience.
Together, these two productions promise audiences an exhilarating mix of dark comedy, emotional depth and theatrical daring — a showcase of the next generation of Australian acting talent.
Performance Details
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Thursday 26 March, 7:30pm – Saturday 28 March, 7:30pm – Monday 30 March, 2:00pm (Matinee) – Tuesday 31 March, 7:30pm
Dance Nation
Friday 27 March, 7:30pm – Sunday 29 March, 2:00pm (Matinee) – Monday 30 March, 7:30pm – Tuesday 31 March, 2:00pm (Matinee)
Venue: Subiaco Arts Centre, 180 Hamersley Road, Subiaco
Tickets: Available through WAAPA’s box office at waapa.ecu.edu.au
