Hoy Polloy presents the Australian premiere of Fin Kennedy’s play How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found, directed by Paul King, at the Mechanics Institute Performing Arts Centre, Brunswick from 23^rd May until 7^th June 2008.

This extraordinary play tells the story of Charlie, a young executive, who finds himself travelling a bewildering path that leads to the inevitable question: we can change our names, our clothes and our addresses, but can we ever escape who we really are?

Winner of the prestigious Arts Council England John Whiting Award for New Writing in 2005, How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found is part surreal black comedy, part profound human tragedy that hurtles towards a compelling climax as it asks what really makes us who we are in the 21st Century.

How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found was the first un-produced play to receive the John Whiting Award in its forty-year history, which saw the world premiere presented at the Sheffield Theatres’ Studio Theatre in England last year.

The John Whiting Award was established to recognise new and distinctive development in dramatic writing with particular relevance to contemporary society.

Hoy Polloy Artistic Director, Wayne Pearn, highlighted, “This play will electrify audiences and undoubtedly attract a whole new breed of theatre follower.

“We are thrilled to produce the Australian premiere of this startling new work by Fin Kennedy, who we believe heralds the next important voice in contemporary theatre.

“How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found is a devastating exploration of the post-millennial human condition which will take your breath away as it moves at the speed of light,” Pearn concluded.

Director Paul King is a loyal member of the Hoy Polloy production team, having directed Frozen by Bryony Lavery in 2006 and most recently was set designer for the company’s last production Boston Marriage by David Mamet.

The cast of the Australian première of How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found comprises David Passmore, Tory Rodd, Michael F Cahill, Glen Hancox and Helen Hopkins.

David Passmore has an arts degree in English Literature and Maori Studies and trained at Bruce Alexander’s Melbourne Acting Studio. His recent theatre credits include Jane Austen’s Guide To Pornography (Out Cast Theatre) and Mojo (Human Sacrifice Theatre).

Tory Rodd is WAAPA trained (including Sam Shephard’s A Lie Of The Mind). She has appeared in Marshall Law (Southern Star) and The Secret Life Of Us (Southern Star), and recently featured in Bombshells with Leo9 Productions.

Michael F Cahill studied drama at The University of Hull (England); performed at the Arts Centre (Short & Sweet) and worked with La Mama (The True Amazon Adventures Of Roger Casement) and Theatre In Decay (The Taking Of Ramsey Street).

Glen Hancox has featured in numerous short/feature films and television productions including The King (FremantleMedia) and Neighbours (Grundy Television); and appeared in La Mama’s The Resort (Sanctuary) earlier this year.

Helen Hopkins was in Hoy Polloy’s last production as Anna in Boston Marriage and has performed with the Melbourne Theatre Company, La Mama and Australian Shakespeare Company.

FIN KENNEDY

Fin Kennedy is an award-winning investigative playwright, playwrighting teacher and has a master of arts in writing for performance at Goldsmiths College (London).

How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found is Kennedy’s second play. His first play, Protection, was produced at Soho Theatre in 2003.

He was recently the recipient, with Liquid Theatre, of a £20,000 Arts Council grant to develop Chimeras, a modern Jacobean revenge tragedy for the 20th Century, where a reading of this ambitious new play will take place this year.

During 2007 he was writer-in-residence at Mulberry School in Tower Hamlets, where he developed Mehndi Night, a play taken to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

As well as writing plays, Kennedy has many years of experience teaching playwrighting at secondary, further education, undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

He also works for schools, youth clubs and theatre education teams across inner city London, and is also a visiting lecturer at Goldsmiths College, Brunel University and Boston University.

HOW TO DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY AND NEVER BE FOUND

DATES: 23^rd May – 7^th June 2008

TIMES: 8:15pm Tuesday-Saturday, 5:00pm Sunday

VENUE: Mechanics Institute Performing Arts Centre

TICKETS: $30 Adult / $20 concession or Groups 10+ / $18 Tuesdays

BOOKINGS: 03 9016 3873, hoypolloy@bigpond.com

MORE INFO: hoypolloytheatre@blogspot.com

WIN! WIN! WIN!

For your chance to win a double-pass to Hoy Polloy’s “How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found” on Wednesday 28^th May, simply e-mail melbournetheatre@vibewire.net with your name, contact phone number and a 25-word-or-less response to the question: How would you disappear completely and never be found? Entries close 5pm, Thursday 22^nd May.  The winner will be notified by e-mail, with their name and response to be published on www.vibewire.net.