NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

BY LALLY KATZ

8 SEPTEMBER – 3 OCTOBER 2020

“Many people will want to kill you. Better you is ready.”

Ana is a battle hardened Hungarian-Australian veteran of the twentieth century. Catherine is her neighbour: a 20-something aspiring actress waiting for a better world.

As their unlikely odd-couple friendship develops, Catherine’s life is transformed by Ana’s stories of the traumas of war, the desolation of the refugee experience, and the struggle of settling in a foreign land.

In turn, Ana is granted one last great friendship at a time when the journey to her life’s end was looking to be a lonely one.

This glorious comedy about hope, death and pets, takes on a sense of enormity in the midst of the ordinary, questioning whether we really know what’s out there in the ‘burbs’.

“Entertaining and substantial, very funny and tremendously enjoyable” Australian Stage

Please note: this production contains strong language, violence, adult themes (abortion, suicide, death), and references to cancer, mental illness and sexual violence

Creative team

Director Louise Fischer*
Set Designer Tom Bannerman*
Lighting Designer Mehran Mortezaei
Costume Designer Claudia Lafoy
Sound Designer Patrick Eades
Assistant Director Victoria Lewis
Production Manager Madeleine Picard
Stage Manager Rosane McNamara
Operators Ole Borch, Ricci Costa
*Original Production Director Trudy Ritchie
*Original Production Set Designers Sophie Lanigan and Max Volfneuk

dates & times

Preview Tue 8 Sep
Thu – Sat 7:30pm
Sun 5pm
Final performance Sat 3 Oct 2pm

Running time 150 minutes, including a 15 minute interval

Cast

Cathy Bates, Colleen Cook
Joshua Horwitz, Susan Jordan
Stephen Lloyd-Coombs
Eloise Martin-Jones, Kelly Robinson
Harry Taylor, John Van Putten
Caitlin Williams, Tricia Youlden

tickets

Full $35
Concessions, Groups (6+) $30
New Theatre Members $22
School Groups $22 (one teacher free per 10 students)
Previews, Thrifty Thursdays $20

“The story is a welcome beacon for surviving tough times. An effective antidote to the COVID blues” Sydney Morning Herald

“On the surface, a suburban drama with the typical nosy gossip and petty disputes but underneath lurks something mystical and mysterious and very possibly dangerous. Louise Fischer’s direction steps from reality into memories, dream worlds, and the afterlife without missing a beat.” Night Writes

“This story of the importance of human connection is presented at a time when communities have not been able to come together and many are feeling the struggle of social isolation.” Broadway World

“Recommended…It was so good to be back at the theatre again…at New Theatre, one of Sydney’s oldest and most treasured venues.” Sydney Arts Guide

“The brilliant production, creative team, and cast make Neighbourhood Watch a very watchable show…Like any show from New Theatre, it has been produced at a phenomenally high level.” State of the Art

“The ensemble take on many roles and one of the most well used by the director is the watching. The cast will often sit upstage and the conceptualisation of intent and the execution of those moments have real power.” Reviews by Judith