Young people from Melbourne and Geelong will come together next month to speak out against male violence and gender oppression in a new play, Scheherazade.
Written and performed by 30 people from Footscray and Richmond theatre groups, the play’s message seeks to raise awareness of sexism and violence.
The actors, cast from Uprising Theatre, Phoenix Youth Theatre, North Geelong Youth Theatre and The Edge Ensemble, want to fight violence and gender oppression through humour.
The performance will include dance, music, interactive theatre and digital art.
The contributing theatre groups have formed Western Edge Youth Arts, which plans to explore challenging content through innovative performances with and for young people.
Scheherazade is Western Edge’s adaptation of an older play, Arabian Nights.
In it, Scheherazade, a young woman, is going to marry a misogynistic gangster but has a secret plan to bring him down.
On her way, she tells stories of men, women, power, love, hate, culture and the need for respect.
Director Dave Kelman says the production uses humour to convey its anti-violence message.
“If we want to change the way people think and raise awareness about what is a terrible issue in our society, we believe the best way to do it is through great art – not crude messages,” he said.
Through its culturally diverse cast, Scheherazade will reflect the complex cultural make-up of Footscray.
Piper Huynh, a cast member from Maidstone, says the production aims to state that there is no acceptable level of violence.
“Male violence affects all communities and we want to make the positive statement that we reject it and want a world in which men and women have respect for each other,” Huynh said.
Scheherazade will run from December 4-6 at the Footscray Community Arts Centre, 45 Moreland Street.
For bookings, visit www.footscrayarts.com and search for Scheherazade.
