WOOLF
WRITTEN BY PATRICK LIVESEY
CREATED & DIRECTED BY CHRISTIAN CAVALLO & DAN GRAHAM
ABOUT
Playwright: Patrick Livesey
Co-Creators & Directors: Christian Cavallo & Dan Graham
‘Woolf’ is a queer work, inspired by Edward Albee’s ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’. The play explores themes of community, identity, queer relationships, domestic abuse, family and infidelity as experienced by a middle-aged gay couple. They host an unwitting younger queer couple as guests and draw them into their bitter and abusive relationship. Set on the evening Australia said 'YES' to Marriage Equality, the work seeks to explore contemporary queer relationships .
In subverting the iconic heteronormative narrative of Edward Albee's original play to include a cast of LGBTQIA+ characters, it is our aim to examine contemporary relationships through queer identities and non-traditional conventions in direct response to a context of heteronormative conduct.
This play is an original interstate collaboration from Christian Cavallo, Dan Graham and Patrick Livesey.
The play runs for approximately 90 minutes and features a cast of four.
Woolf is an adaptation and is still in development stages. It currently requires refinement of the adapted script through continued collaboration.
Photos from the staged reading at QPAS 2022 Finals.
Woolf was the winner of the Fast Track Award at QPAS 2022.
FESTIVAL PARTNERS
Queer Playwriting Showcase Award & Midsumma Festival.
LEAD CREATIVES
PATRICK LIVESEY
PLAYWRIGHT
Patrick Livesey is a multi-award winning actor, writer and producer. In 2017, he graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts with a BFA in Theatre Practice.
In 2018, Patrick wrote and performed The Boy, George, winning the NZ Tour Ready Award at the Melbourne Fringe Festival and earning a nomination for Best Performance. Patrick then sold the rights to this work to comedian, Joel Creasey who previewed a sold out season to Melbourne audiences in January 2020. In 2019, Patrick starred in #KWANDA by Tom Ballard, directed by Alan Brough, alongside some of Australia’s best comedic talent.
Patrick’s second play, Gone Girls earned rave reviews at Adelaide Fringe 2020, sold out five shows at the Holden Street Theatres and has been programmed for Gasworks 2021 main season. Patrick and his partner, Wil King, commissioned, produced and starred in Dirt by Angus Cameron, directed by Bronwen Coleman for Adelaide Fringe 2021, winning the Weekly Award for Best Theatre and the Adelaide Critics Circle Award. He is currently writing Mummy’s Boy, which was shortlisted for the Midsumma Queer Playwriting Award and is currently working with Princess Pictures on the development of an original television series.
CHRISTIAN CAVALLO
CO-DIRECTOR & CO-CREATOR
Christian is Artistic Director of Bravo Arts. Previous directing credits include H#SH’D OUT, The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, Kinky Boots, Dusty The Original Pop Diva, Heathers The Musical (GEA Award, Best Director), The Addams Family Musical, Eurobeat: Almost Eurovision.
Christian was one of the co-founders of Hope New Works, a platform that supports the development of new music theatre. For the initiative, Christian has been recognised by the Green Room Association Awards for ‘Contribution to Development/ New Work’ and ‘Community Building and Advocacy’. He is currently Resident Director for Class Act Theatre In Education. The company’s four touring shows explore themes of respectful relationships; online safety; gender, sexuality and adolescence; and mental health.
As a performer, Christian has a range of stage experiences spanning 20 years across musical theatre, plays, concerts and cabaret. He worked at Universal Studios Japan as an inaugural cast member of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and performed in It’s Only Life with John Bucchino in both Melbourne and in New York. His last performance was in King Of Cool: The Songs Of Dean Martin.
He is a Performing Arts Teacher and Curriculum Coordinator for Stage School Australia, works with Oxygen College and Australian Institute of Music. He is currently directing Our Town by Thornton Wilder for JMC Academy, …Cocaine… by Chris Bush for Melbourne Fringe, and The Devil’s Grip by Gavin Roach adapted from the novel by Neil Drinnan, and will present The Mentor at Theatre Works in November.
Christian also works as a freelance performer, producer, facilitator, writer, and graphic designer.
DAN GRAHAM
CO-DIRECTOR & CO-CREATOR
Dan is a graduate with Honours in Performance Studies Paper at USYD. He proudly represents modern Australian diversity through his multicultural ethnicity, disability and queer identity. He is passionate about support for Artists with Neuro-Diverse Disabilities.
Dan is currently involved as director and dramaturg in the developments of three new Australian works with Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Festival & Accessible Arts NSW. He worked as dramaturg on 'All My Sons' at Darlinghurst Theatre, Directed by Iain Sinclair.
He has attended Director's Labs in Chicago and LA, and recently returned from New York where he completed a Directing Residency at Atlantic Theater Company and attended ISPA. In 2018 he was invited to the Future Leaders Program (Australia Council for the Arts).
He has directed Christie In Love By Howard Brenton, A Kind Of Alaska By Harold Pinter, Wolf Lullaby By Hillary Bell and The Crucible By Arthur Miller. Last year, Dan Directed SAM I AM, a One Man Show by a Deaf Artist which will play at La Mama in April 2021. In February this year he completed Stage 1 in a Development for Bell Shakespeare, The Sydney Festival and Accessible Arts NSW of which he is a Creator and Director. Dan has also been awarded a Creative Development with Giant Dwarf with Aunty Gayle Kennedy as Director and Dramaturg.
Dan has served on the Board of Arts Access Australia, is presently a Co-Chair of Artists With A Disability Committee for MEAA and serves on their Diversity Committee. He is also on The Hickson Road Committee for Accessible Arts NSW. He is head of Access for Antipodes Theatre Company’s Winter Retreat. He was interviewed recently by 2ser, which you can listen to here.