If you like your theatre to be intimate, intense and a bit different then a new play by Julia Patey called THE KNIFE should fit the bill.
The play is a one woman play and is about Elly, a young woman who was attacked when she was in her late teens being just on the cusp of adulthood.
THE KNIFE starts with Elly on the night of her 29th birthday. She has blood all over her clothes. We the audience ask what has done, how far has she gone in her bid to extract revenge?!
I spoke to Julia about her play. “I was drawn to write this play because it’s a fascinating question. How far will a person go to try and feel that at least some of the hurt has been undone, to try and feel that at least they have got some of their power back.”
Julia has chosen to stage the play in an unconventional venue venue. Elly’s drama will be staged in the back of a commercial truck. This came as a bit of a shock to me but then I remembered that in the last year I have seen an operatta performed in the Ladies Bathroom in the Playhouse at the Sydney Opera House so nothing should surprise me.
“I want the play to have a real intimacy. The truck will only fit about twenty people. I want it to feel like a conversation between Elly and the audience.”
Julia is currently studying law and reflects that crime is her favourite genre.
The play took Julia just three weeks to write. “Once I had the structure, then it was easy to write.”
“I wrote the play with a specific actress in mind. Erin Taylor and I have worked together before. Erin has been a bit involved with the writing process. I have also had dramaturgical assistance from Polly Rowe who is the Literary Manager at the Sydney Theatre Company which has been great..”
Julia is directing the piece, not usually the practice for new work. “The scope of the play is quite narrow. I feel confident in the directing role, and Erin and I work together well.”
I asked about the running time. “The play will run for under sixty minutes without interval. It flits between the present and the past. Erin will not only play Elly but also a few other characters.”
Julia Patey’s THE KNIFE will play in the Bondi Pavilion precinct between the 9th and 13th July. The play is part of this year’s Bondi Feast festival which will take place between the 9th to the 20th July, 2019.
https://www.bondifeast.com.au/
Featured image- playwright Julia Patey