IN February, Bathurst-based performance company Lingua Franca will return to the rehearsal room in preparation for the world premiere of its new work, Mighty, to be presented at Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre from February 28 as part of the theatre’s Annual Season.
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Mighty is an ambitious full-length work that asks what it is to be strong in today’s world by exploring how we behave when we are at our most vulnerable.
The work draws on hours of interviews with people from all walks of life, as well as found materials such as political speeches and philosophical texts.
This brand-new performance, incorporating physical theatre, contemporary dance, circus and famous political speeches, is a collaboration between the Bathurst theatre company and acclaimed Oberon-based visual artist Harrie Fasher.
The show, which is at times a solemn reflection on when we feel at our weakest and at others a bawdy, raucous extravaganza of physical and vocal prowess, is set to be a moving interrogation of how we build strength for ourselves and our communities, and an innovative combination of theatre, performance and visual art.
Lingua Franca is proud to be a local performing arts organisation and with this project is working with a team of entirely regionally based or connected artists.
Bathurst performing arts legends like Kate Smith, Aaron Hopper and Alison Plevey will return to the BMEC stage as part of the company, while other artists working on the show hail from Cowra, Armidale, Mittagong and the Blue Mountains.
The creation of Mighty is supported not only by BMEC and Local Stages, but by two-year funding from the Regional Arts Fund, a program designed to support the development of arts and cultural activities in regional Australia, with a focus on giving regional communities access to vibrant arts experiences.
Lingua Franca has been making work in Bathurst since 2012.
“We love Bathurst. We are so proud to be based here and make this our home,” Mighty director and Bathurst resident Adam Deusien said.
“Creating work and premiering it here in Bathurst is so important to us. We believe that regional audiences deserve to see new work being made by artists from their home towns, to see that the making of great theatre is not just the business of the cities.
“This show is an open invitation to the community to get behind local artists, just like they might a local small business.”
Mighty will run from February 28 to March 2 at the BMEC. Tickets are available at www.bmec.com.au or through the Box Office on (02) 6333 6161.
