6 August 2019 For immediate release
Three Dorothys Walk into the Sydney Fringe Fest: New Play Celebrates Writers, Women and Wisecracks
Sydney—Prolific writers Dorothy Day, Dorothy Parker and Dorothy L. Sayers each found their voice in the 1920s and almost 100 years later each still enjoys an international following. Now the three literary figures will share a stage in an imaginative new play about writers, women and wisecracks.
Written by Jo Kadlecek, and directed by Sydney theatre veteran Nicholas Papademetriou, “Speak . . . easy” runs from 3-15 Sept as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival and introduces audiences to the creative works and messy lives of the legendary writers.
Produced by Joining the Dots Theatre—which Kadlecek and Sydney actor Alison Chambers (who plays Parker) founded last year—“Speak . . . easy” follows DJ Havel, a young Sydney writer who’s stuck. She’s pregnant, on a deadline and reeling from her mother’s death, when she discovers the works of the three Dorothys. Born within four years of each other, Parker was an American poet, satirist and founding theatre critic for the New Yorker Magazine, Sayers was a British detective novelist, playwright and BBC commentator, and Day co-founded the New York-based Catholic Worker .
“I’ve been reading the works of these Dorothys for almost 15 years and always thought they deserved a conversation on the stage,” Kadlecek said. “Really, about the only thing they had in common was their first name and the grit to make a living as writers in a man’s world. I hope putting them together not only sparks an interest in their works, but helps us better understand how to engage with others unlike ourselves.”
In addition to Chambers, the cast includes Jane Bergeron as Sayers, Gary Brun as DJ’s husband, Julie Moore as Day and Adele Querol as DJ. Costumes and set design by Tess Evans; lighting design by Sophie Pekbilimli; sound design by Glenn Braithwaite; and stage manager Evie Jurd.
AT A GLANCE:
Joining the Dots Theatre presents: “Speak . . . easy”
By Jo Kadlecek
Directed by Nicholas Papademetriou
Sydney Fringe Fest; 3-15 September 2019; 7:30pm T,W,F,S; 3pm Sun
Annandale Creative Arts Centre, 81 Johnston Street, Annandale, NSW 2038
Tickets are available at: https://sydneyfringe.com/buy-tickets?e=MTg1MDU
