It was one of the best nights I have ever experienced in a theatre. Arriving at La Boite Theatre’s Roundhouse Theatre at Kelvin Grove one evening in 2015 I was pleasantly surprised to find a boxing ring inside.
Anyone brought up on Rocky and its sequels would have felt as excited as I was. The play, Prize Fighter, written by Future D. Fidel, a Congolese-Australian playwright and former refugee, tells the story of Isaac, a young Congolese boxer in Brisbane haunted by a traumatic childhood in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The play unfolds through intense boxing scenes interwoven with memories of war, family and survival. It was compelling theatre.
Prize Fighter starred Pacahro Mzembe and his brother Gideon and toured until 2017, including a season at Sydney’s Belvoir Street Theatre. And for those of us who get a bit tired of some of the fare dished up at the theatre, it was a pleasant diversion.
So, here’s the good news, Prize Fighter is returning for one night only on June 23, under the eye of its original director, Todd MacDonald, a former artistic director of La Boite.
But before you get too excited, this is not the full production and there is no boxing ring. Rather, what we will get is a sophisticated play reading, part of a series of play readings that will celebrate La Boite’s 100-year history.
The series, La Boite Encores, begins April 28 with In Beauty It Is Finished by George Landen Dann, a play that sparked controversy long before its 1931 premiere, due to its candid language and groundbreaking portrayal of a relationship between a young white woman and an Aboriginal man. This powerful reading will be directed by Butchulla man Aidan Rowlingson and, for the first time, read by a First Nations cast.
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The series will revive 10 iconic Australian favourites from the archives of Australia’s oldest continuously running professional theatre company.
For one night a week over 10 weeks audiences will experience the company’s much-loved works
La Boite Theatre started life as the Brisbane Repertory Theatre Society in 1925. The name “La Boite” (French for “the box”) was adopted in 1967 when the theatre relocated to Hale Street, inner-Brisbane, before it shifted to Kelvin Grove.
For one night a week over 10 weeks audiences will experience the company’s much-loved works, brought to life once again to celebrate turning 100. Like a book club for theatre lovers, this intimate series reunites original cast members and directors alongside emerging Brisbane talent, offering a unique journey through La Boite’s rich history.
Notably, four former La Boite artistic directors – Sue Rider, Sean Mee, David Berthold and Todd MacDonald – will return to direct key works, adding to the celebration of the company’s legacy.
It’s an idea hatched by La Boite Theatre’s artistic director and CEO Courtney Stewart, and a brilliant way to honour the past in the present.
“I was really thinking about what work from the archives need to be staged again,” Stewart explains. “La Boite has always been at the forefront and this is an opportunity to reflect on 100 years of storytelling.”
The actors involved will bring the works to life again under the direction of original directors in some cases.
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“Leah Purcell made her start at the company,” Stewart says, pointing out that audiences can also look forward to Black Chicks Talking, written and directed by Purcell.
A bold exploration of First Nation Australian women’s stories, this production cemented La Boite’s position at the forefront of contemporary Australian theatre. The original play was commissioned by former La Boite artistic director Sean Mee, who co-directed the work with Purcell. It premiered at QPAC in 2002 and went on to tour nationally. Now Purcell returns to direct a fresh presentation of this landmark work.
Throughout the series, audiences will rediscover a range of influential plays including The Matilda Women, X-Stacy, Zig Zag Street, The Narcissist, boy girl wall and Holding the Man, as well as Prize Fighter and Single Asian Female, a more recent work written by Michelle Law. Single Asian Female starred Courtney Stewart, who played the character Mei in 2019, and she will reprise that role for the play reading.
Each play offers a unique snapshot of La Boite’s artistic evolution, making La Boite Encores a must-see for theatre lovers and newcomers alike.
“Revisiting these remarkable productions allows us to honour the artists, creatives and communities who have contributed to La Boite’s 100-year legacy,” Stewart says. “La Boite Encores is about reconnecting with the past while forging the future.”
And it is also an educational series.
“Schools are already booking in to see them,” Stewart says.
La Boite’s 100th is on July 31 and there will be a party to celebrate, but details of that are still being worked out.
Following La Boite Encores and around the time of the birthday we can also look forward to La Boite Theatre’s collaboration with the much-loved Dead Puppet Society – We’re All Gonna Die! Written by Maddie Nixon and directed by Matt Seery and Dead Puppet Society’s David Morton, it will feature music by Dean Hanson of Ball Park Music and design by Morton.
This high-octane comedy is described as “Godzilla meets The Betoota Advocate” and is “equal parts climate-change thriller, schlock horror and live-action comic book”. It will usher in the next 100 years. Fingers crossed.
La Boite Encores, once weekly, April 28 to July 1, Kelvin Grove.