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Wish
Night Train Productions/Humphrey Bower

Venue: Space Theatre
When: Wed 29 Feb 01:45 PM - 02:10 PM
Genre: Theatre
Main Audience: Adults (18+)
Producer: Rachael Whitworth
No. in touring party: 5

Wish

A love story between a man and a gorilla, Wish takes us to the outer limits of language, nature, ethics and love.

JJ, the hearing son of deaf parents, agrees to teach Sign to the mysterious ‘Eliza’. Rescued from a research lab by animal rights activists, she demonstrates a gift for Sign and bonds passionately with her new teacher. JJ and Eliza become increasingly close and finally one night they mate.

Based on the extraordinary novel by leading Australian writer Peter Goldsworthy, Wish is a provocative new work by chamber theatre company Night Train Productions. Award-winning actor and theatre-maker Humphrey Bower plays JJ, joined by dancer-choreographer Danielle Micich as Eliza, with live music by Leon Ewing and hauntingly lit by Andrew Lake.

Wish is intimate, visceral theatre that challenges our notion of what it means to love.

‘Compelling from its opening scene…a visual and aural feast composed of sign language, speech and poignant song…This profound story is beautifully told... Wish is essential viewing.’ - Rita Clarke, ArtsHub.

‘Bower is a born storyteller… His incorporation of sign and spoken language…is beautifully clear and fascinating. Micich is compelling as Eliza, her powerful, supple body as expressive as the words her mute character cannot speak.’ - David Zampatti, The West Australian.

Wish is produced by Performing Lines WA.

Night Train Productions – Humphrey Bower

Night Train is a chamber theatre company with a focus on the art of storytelling. Previous productions include Raising the Dead, The Kreutzer Sonata, Skin, The Soldier’s Tale and Orpheus and Eurydice.

Humphrey Bower has received numerous awards including a 2010 Helpmann for Best Supporting Actor in Melbourne Theatre Company’s Richard III. He has worked as an actor and writer for companies including Playbox/Malthouse, State Theatre Company of South Australia and Black Swan State Theatre Company. Humphrey and Danielle shared the 2011 Blue Room Theatre's Outstanding Individual Performance Award and received the Members Choice Award for Wish.

Danielle Micich was Artistic Director of West Australia's youth dance company STEPS for four years, where she produced eleven new dance works, winning Outstanding Achievement for Choreography for dash at the 2007 WA Dance Awards. She recently won a WA Dance Award for Best Female Performer in Wish.

Leon Ewing is a performer, music producer and film director, specialising in producing AV in community, and for performance. His work has received high rotation on JJJ, made the Hottest 100, and won 6 WA Music Industry awards.

Andrew Lake has toured works nationally and internationally and was a Helpmann Award finalist in 2004, and at the 2006 Green Room Awards.

Originally supported by the Blue Room Theatre.

Photo: Ashley de Prazer