I am incredibly pleased and immensely proud to be able to bring you Next Fall as my maiden production here in my new hometown. My association with this play spans some 11 years having first encountered Next Fall, by accident, On Broadway in 2010. I was transiting in New York for 1 night and looking for something to do. I noticed a favourite actor of mine Patrick Breen was in a play so grabbed a ticket to see him on stage and in person for the first time.

 

I cannot recall a time at the theatre when I laughed and cried so much in a 2-hour period. I was deeply moved by the love between the two central characters and fascinated by the religious aspects of the piece.

 

It took some time, but I managed to secure the Australian rights to the play in 2016, this launched the Sydney production followed by Melbourne in 2017. After a couple of false starts I am so relieved the Adelaide production is now a reality.

 

As Director this time around, I have not looked to recreate a previous production, rather I allowed the considerably talented cast to create their unique takes on the characters and ensured the rehearsal process provided plenty of opportunity to explore each character and Geoffrey Nauffts magnificently written script. It is a credit to each and every member of the cast for the hard work and dedication shown throughout the process.

 

A deeply touching moment occurred during the Sydney production. A young gay Christian man came running up to me after a matinee performance. He had tears in his eyes and gave me a huge hug. He thanked me for providing him the opportunity to see so much of his life up on the stage and through the tears told me that he did not feel quite so alone anymore. He was planning on bringing his parents to the show that evening and then having a long overdue conversation with them. The power of theatre huh?

 

It does sadden me that this play is still as relevant today as it was when it was written in 2008 but regardless, I hope you allow yourself to get caught up in the emotion of Next Fall and have a wonderful night at the theatre. Thank you for your support.