Così
Synopsis
Così by Louis Nowra is an iconic Australian piece. Set in a Melbourne Mental Institution in 1971, we meet Lewis. Fresh out of university Lewis has taken his first job directing. His brief is to “put on something that will bring the patients out of their shells”. Lewis encounters manic-depressive Roy who has a life-long dream of staging Mozart’s Opera Così Fan Tutte. His grand plans include a full production and sung in Italian, of course. This is met with horror by his fellow patients who have come along on the invitation “To have some fun in the Theatre”. Roy has also put Occupational Therapy onto making the costumes with hysterical results. From here the fun really begins. With the Vietnam War going on in the outside world the patients learn not only about changing values but also about each other’s back stories. It was first staged in Sydney in 1992 starring Ben Mendelsohn as Lewis, Barry Otto as Roy and David Wenham as the pyromaniac Doug, all of whom reprised their roles in the subsequent film.
Cast and Crew
Cast
Lewis - Ross Tempest
Roy - Frank Sartore
Cherry - Katie Fitches
Doug - David Prince
Ruth - Fiona Agyeman
Julie - Nikita Scott
Henry - Brian Fitches
Nick - Roy Maddocks
Lucy - Nicole Katiforis
Justin - Caleb McKenney
Crew
Director - Bette Sartore
Stage Manager - Brian Fitches/Gail (Murfi) McGregor
Props - Keesi Meehan
Lighting and Sound Helen Gramberg
FOH Jackie Turner
Tickets - Katie & Brian Fitches