Observatory Theatre has announced a 2023 Season that will explore what the future holds for us, and what we can learn from the past. The three plays programmed for this year invite audiences to consider what it is they would fight for, and what really matters.
All performances will take place at Brisbane’s newest creative hub – Studio1 in Yeerongpilly – and will be directed by the company’s Founder and Creative Producer, Lachlan Driscoll.
Driscoll says the 2023 Season is full of characters standing up for themselves, fighting for the truth, and not backing down in the face of resistance, and asks audiences, “How far would you go?”
2023 also welcomes the in-house newsletter ‘Third Eye’, a quarterly e-newsletter offering readers a closer look at each play, including origins and themes, and behind-the-scenes insights. You can sign up for Third Eye here.
The Turquoise Elephant
by Stephen Carleton
2 – 11 June 2023
Observatory Theatre will open 2023 with the Griffin Award winning play The Turquoise Elephant, a black comedy that highlights the absurdity of climate change denial: Driscoll warns audiences to “come prepared to expect the unexpected and totally ludicrous”.
The production is partnered with the Australian Conservation Foundation and audiences are encouraged to make a donation towards saving our big outdoors and building a country that’s powered by renewable energy.
Picnic at Hanging Rock
by Tom Wright, after Joan Lindsay
August 2023
This fresh classic follows five performers as they unpack the age-old mystery and uncover ever-timely truths, adapted by Tom Wright after Joan Lindsay’s iconic novel.
Driscoll describes this version as haunting and powerful.
“Fans both old and new will discover things they hadn’t before,” he said.
Disney Off Ice
by Oliver Gough
23 November – 3 December 2023
The 2023 season will close with the world premiere of Disney Off Ice, commissioned by Observatory Theatre’s new writing program ‘Telescope’.
Oliver Gough’s parody explores what could happen if Walt Disney himself was thawed from the cryonic chamber of urban legend and thrust into a modern world, and Driscoll describes Gough’s writing as “savage, sharp and brimming with wit”.
“If you think you know Walt Disney, come along and see the actual man behind the curtain,” Driscoll said.
For ticketing and further information, visit the Observatory Theatre website
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