New play set for a world premiere in Bendigo

Tripwire Theatre Inc. are in rehearsal for a new play which promises to deliver a big impact this March.

Written by local theatre-makers Megan J Riedl and Jacob Honeychurch, The Belly Dancer is a bold new performance inspired by real-life experiences of family violence. The play, which has been almost two years in the making, holds up a mirror to our recent local history, when in 2015, Bendigo was the epicentre of anti-muslim protests, about the planning proposal for the city’s first mosque.

The Belly Dancer asks what kind of community we want to be creating? One that is underpinned by the values of violence and shackled by fear, or one that is open to difference and celebrates our capacity to embrace change with love. Are we complicit in maintaining the power imbalance that allows violence to flourish? As the bystander next-door, is doing nothing still acceptable?

This new project will have its world premiere performance season at the Engine Room, Bendigo from 15-18 March, coinciding with Cultural Diversity Week.

Director: Alise Amarant
Cast: Saari Frochot-Chauhan, Elliot Gale and Marjan Maleki.