La Boite Season 2023: Bolder and braver
La Boite Theatre Company is putting the world on show in its 2023 season.
This week was the eagerly awaited launch of La Boite’s 2023 Season which also happens to be Artistic Director Courtney Stewart’s inaugural season. There was fine wine, charcuterie boards, plenty of mood lighting and creatives mingling in La Boite’s foyer; an air of anticipation was in the air, so crisp that your skin couldn’t help but tingle.
As with all season launches, there were many speeches setting the scene, as well as a gorgeous welcome to country, but all of us were itching for Stewart to take to the stage. And when she did, it was so worth it.
When introducing the season, Stewart shared with the crowd of 100 or so avid theatre-goers and artists, that she hopes that La Boite’s four main-house new Australian works will be the theatre classics of tomorrow. Stewart has noted that La Boite’s 2023 season is, “… an entire season of necessary, never-before-seen work, brought to the stage by talented Australian artists and local creatives. From morality and betrayal, relationships and grief, identity and displacement, and crushes and cosplay, there is a show for everyone.”
These works include Poison of Polygamy (directed by Stewart), that explores the notion that we are the sum of our ideas and need to live through those choices. This page to stage work is an English language adaptation of Wong Shee Ping’s novel on the Chinese-Australian experience that has been translated by Anchuli Felicia King and will run in May.
Butchulla and Kabi Kabi writer Aidan Rowlingson’s play Capricorn is next, running from the 24th of July – 12th of August. It explores anxieties and fears about love and loss through the lens of a relationship; questioning whether you can love and hate someone at the same time.
Cut Chilli is the third mainhouse work, running from the 14th of September - 7th of October. It was referred to as a delicious family drama that takes the audience on a journey that touches on themes of heritage, forgiveness and hope.
Last, but not least, is the debut of Lewis Treston’s new work IRL, running from the 6-25 of November. IRL is a fierce and funny reflection of what it means to be a teenager searching for love and acceptance.
La Boite’s season will also feature New Zealand duo Karin McCracken and Eleanor Bishop’s play YES YES YES; a theatre show created for and with input from teenagers that explores the topic of consent and healthy relationships through merging different styles of theatre and audience interaction.
After introducing the works of season 2023, Stewart also went on to mention that La Boite’s mission is to continue to reveal untold stories from the stories of the oppressed and underprivileged, to continue to tell First Nations stories and to dismantle the idea of the unifying hole that we need to look and think alike. To support this, La Boite will continue provide masterclasses and artist development programs that aim to upskil the local creative industry, particularly the makers and shapers of new Australian works
Check out La Boite’s website for their different ticket packages, including one for artists, which also includes access to these masterclasses.
Looking forward to seeing you at the theatre for a promising and refreshing season from an iconic Brisbane company.
All images sourced from La Boite’s website.
