WAKE is a new performance installation by powerhouse experimental theatre makers THE RABBLE, and produced by Performing Lines. Created with an ensemble of older women from Melbourne’s West about the body, death and loneliness, it embraces connection, the rituals we inhabit as we age and the spaces where we feel most comfortable.
Audiences are welcomed into the iconic Italian Social Club Altona to experience a work that is part party, part surreal vaudeville show, part conversation and part town hall meeting. WAKE asks audiences to consider the difficult and taboo discussions around ageing but also celebrates the subtle power of eight spectacular older women.
Exploring the ever-increasing hostility towards women’s bodies particularly for older people, WAKE features acts of artistic courage created by the participating women, featuring anything from a ukulele solo to a professional wrestling bout; a Shakespeare monologue to a political speech. In an age of dislocation, WAKE is a work of solidarity.
There will also be an exhibition of video works on display throughout the Italian Social Club as part of WAKE for audiences to experience before and after the performance.
