What’s the central premise of your show? Ascent focuses on the need for constant self-improvement, as it relates to the ‘female’ body. The main message of the show is to value the intelligence and wisdom of our bodies, to slow down and listen to our bodies, rather than be fixated on their function, efficiency or aesthetics.
How long did it take you to craft it? At the end of last year I was in the middle of a writing exercise where I wrote 100 scenes in 100 days, inspired by two words created on a random word generator. One day the words ‘injection’ and ‘load’ came up. The resulting scene ended up being the last scene of Ascent. Within about two months I had a draft script and it will have been almost a 10-month process by the time we premiere.
What does your show say about society today? There seems to be increasing pressure on many of us to look young and youthful for as long as possible, which is one of the things we look at in the piece. We are about finding ways to empower women through stories that celebrate and offer a new perspective on how women and our bodies can be represented.
What’s a fun fact about your show? We create a giant hand on stage that is made with four legs, two backs and a thigh. Another fun fact is that we were one of five shows to be selected for Melbourne Fringe’s first ever ShowSupport grant.
