“Speak… easy”
by Jo Kadlecek
Directed by Nicholas Papademetriou
Synopsis: Writer DJ Havel is stuck. She’s pregnant, on a deadline and reeling from her mother’s recent death. Enter legendary writers Dorothy Parker, Dorothy L. Sayers and Dorothy Day, and DJ’s found her muse—IF they’ll behave.
Date: 3-15 September 2019, Annandale Creative Arts Centre
New works matter. So do the writers who’ve had an impact in our own creative processes. “Speak . . . easy” celebrated both, as well as the UNSEEN contributions of artists to all of us!
The play introduced Sydney audiences to the great works and messy lives of legendary writers from the 1920s (and on): Dorothy Parker (The New Yorker), Dorothy Day (The Catholic Worker) and Dorothy L. Sayers (Lord Wimsey detective novels/ BBC culture). Against the backdrop of a young writer’s struggles, these Dorothys invite us to consider the various voices and perspectives of those unlike ourselves.
“We wanted to honour the inspiring gifts of our crew while asking them to bring their best work to this space.”
Once a historic church, Annandale Creative Arts Centre, is now an exciting venue for concerts, discussions, art exhibits and dance recitals. “Speak . . . easy”, though, was one of the few professional theatre productions to be held this glorious old sanctuary!
But a premiere production like this could not happen without the talents of that behind the show: from the costume and set designers to the sound and lighting masters, the stage manager and the director, all bring the story to life. Our amazing unseen crew of gifted artists brought their cleverness to a unique stage so the actors could shine & the audience can delight.
Speak . . . easy in the news:
- Dr Natasha Moore interviews Jo Kadlecek for her Life & Faith podcast: “Three Dorothys Walk Into a Bar”
- “Speak . . . easy’ joins the dots with three Literary figures“—Scenestr
- Reviews By Judith: Judith & Friends Something Fringy–Speak Easy
- Three Minute Squiz with Playwright Jo Kadlecek
