SWAMPVILLE, POPULATION WANTED

The Clayfield College Drama AIR Program has been running annually for many years, giving Year 12 students the opportunity to work with performing arts professionals and perform in a professional venue and in doing so extend themselves as young artists.

Swampville, Population Wanted – Visy Theatre, Powerhouse

There’s something weird going on in the small town of Swampville. The population is shrinking, but the townsfolk don’t seem to notice…

When a group of eccentric self-obsessed characters arrive in Swampville to boost the population, they fail to notice that there is something lurking in the shadows. The townsfolk are unperturbed when told the stories of the Swamp Monster. However, when members of their family go missing, they have more important things to think about, themselves. “Swampville, Population Wanted,” is a dark comedy about the essence of human nature. Love.

DEVELOPMENT

A full semester of regular class-time workshops, after school and weekend rehearsals.

With our first AIR project at Clayfield College the students were very clear in their desire to create a ‘dark comedy’. We were happy to oblige!

With Swampville the team were inspired by black comedy TV shows, 1950s science fiction and horror films, Scooby Doo, and parodies of the gothic style generally. It was by finding one of the key characters, Dr. Zombie, that the show leapt into view. We also borrowed ideas from the real world, namely the repopulating of country towns through the offer of cheap housing. What happens when a group of really strange people turn up? Why is the town empty in the first place? The theme of self-obsession was one of the first things we explored – the students were comfortable making fun of themselves, and many of the play’s characters ended up as school-aged teens.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE – SHORT

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE – LONG

Price for longer AIRs (spaced over several weeks, a term, semester or year) varies according to contact hours, outcome (i.e polished performance or informal showing) and other factors. AIRs can be tailored to your budget, time frame and unit needs!

Contact us to get the conversation started.