Being loved? Sounds fucking terrifying.
A few things that happened on the way to now is a dark comedy following Annie's love story as she comedically, beautifully and tragically negotiates the possibility of being pregnant for the second time in her life.
This one-act play takes place in the ‘three minutes’ during which Annie is waiting for her pregnancy test timer to go off. She has no idea what she is supposed to be feeling, but she is almost certain that what she is feeling isn’t just bloating from the pizza she had for breakfast. She noncommittally prays, hoping the universe will deliver her an epiphany in the moment she needs it most. But she doesn’t know how to listen to the universe or understand planets or moon phases so deems the exercise to be fucking useless.
In these ‘three minutes’, Annie is transported to the first time she thought she might have been pregnant. When confronting the events that happened ‘on the way to now’ she finds herself at a loss, struggling years after the fact to finally label painful experiences she’s been through.
Here, now, the second time, Annie is in a committed, long-term, fairytale relationship with Freddie: a man who finds a way to say ‘I fucking adore you’ through only his smile. And she finds herself realising that maybe, just maybe, love isn’t meant to hurt. Maybe it’s meant to feel good after all.
Melbourne Fringe Festival Season
-
Dates: Tuesday 11th - Saturday 15th of October, 2022 (5 shows)
-
Time: 6:30pm
-
Duration: 40 minutes
-
Venue: Queen Victoria Women's Centre - Millarri Murnmut, 210 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
-
Content warnings: Contains coarse language. Themes of emotional abuse, sexual assault, and abortion
-
Access: There is ramp access into the QVWC and elevator access to level 5 (Millarri Murnmut). The door into the space measures 80cm. The closest accessible bathroom is on the ground floor.
-
Ticket price: $26 - $30
-
Bookings: melbournefringe.com.au/event/a-few-things-that-happened-on-the-way-to-now
Sophie McCrae (she / her) - Writer, Performer, Assistant Marketing Manager, Executive Producer
Gaden Sousa (he / him) - Director, Co-film Director, Sound Designer, Poster photographer
Lucy Seale (she / her) - Producer, Marketing Manager, Photographer, Program Designer
Max Bowyer (he / him) - Set Designer
Oliver Ross (he / him) - Lighting Designer, Light and Sound Operator
Torsten Strokirch (he / him) - Composer, Musical Director
Special thanks go to our team from our Melbourne season at The Butterfly Club in May 2022
Riley Stow (he / him) - Lighting designer, Lighting and Sound Operator
Wilson Huang (he / him) - Cinematographer
Michelle St Claire (she / her) - Co-film Director
Trish Donald (she / her) - Poster Designer
Biographies
Meet our team for our Melbourne Fringe Festival Season
Sophie McCrae (She / Her)
Hailing from country Tassie, her favourite place in the entire world, Sophie graduated from Actors Centre Australia in 2015, holds a BA from The University of Melbourne and is currently studying a MA in Shakespeare & Theatre the University of Birmingham. In 2019 she was accepted into and studied with Shakespeare & Company: Center for Actor Training and later that year toured Australia and New Zealand with Poetry In Action.
Sophie has worked on numerous independent theatre productions, short films and commercials in both Sydney and Melbourne, including being the face of Reflex Paper and voice Sodastream for a while! She is passionate about access to creative opportunities and thus frequents rural theatre companies in Tassie as a freelance teacher and guest director.
The past few years have been a struggle for creatives; for Sophie, the forced introspection of this time gave rise to a contemplated realignment of her passion as a storyteller and the creation of Sophie Rose Productions. Her first project, ‘Homesick’ (dir. Gaden Sousa) was accepted into BOFA Film Festival, awarded as a semi-finalist in both the Stafford Film Festival & Birmingham Film & TV Festival and most recently was selected to screened as part of NYC Independent Film Festival.
Sophie is so, so grateful to be supported by the most incredible team on this sometimes dark, hopefully funny, but ultimately heart-warming show. She cannot wait to be back on stage sharing stories with you.
Gaden Sousa (He / Him)
Gaden Sousa is an award-winning writer and director who works across film and theatre to tell character-driven, emotional and magical stories. He has worked on many short films, commercials, and music videos. His VCA graduating short film ‘Dream Again’ is set for its festival run this year. Gaden has previously had the pleasure of collaborating with Sophie McCrae on the short film ‘Homesick’ which has won semi-finalist awards at multiple international film festivals and recently selected for New York City Independent Film Festival.
In 2021 Gaden co-created and directed the award-winning musical 'Icarus and the Falling Birds' for UMMTA’s Sitzprobe, alongside Musical Director Torsten Strokirch. The two of them were eager for the opportunity to collaborate once more on ‘A few things that happened on the way to
now’ is a unique one-woman show which Gaden feels exceptionally lucky to be a part of. The play wears its heart on its sleeve; it’s an honest, earnest and sincere exploration of the complexities of love, loving and being loved. Gaden is excited to stage what is sure to be a heart-expanding, occasionally confronting but ultimately life-affirming experience for any and all audiences.
Lucy Seale (she / her)
Lucy has learnt a lot across the years through involvement in the Melbourne Fringe Festival, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Midsumma Festival. Her passion for the performing arts has led her to try her hand at writing, directing, producing, production management, acting, comedy and circus. Recently however, Lucy focused her attention on developing her marketing skills working with a queer comedy duo, The Titwitchez. When she finds time in her jam-packed calendar, Lucy can be found rollerskating or hanging upside-down from a trapeze.
Lucy is the Co-artistic Director of independent theatre company Shakespearean Jeans, through which she has co-produced five shows since 2017. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and French from the University of Melbourne, where she dabbled in English and Theatre
studies electives, as well as performing arts subjects at the Victorian College of the Arts. In 2019 Lucy received the ‘Robert McDonald Award’ from Union House Theatre, granting her an attachment on a Melbourne Theatre Company production.
Having previously worked as a writer, producer, director and performer for various shows at shows at The Butterfly Club, Lucy was excited by the opportunity to return to this one-of-a-kind venue. She was drawn to this play because it reminded her of what she believes good theatre should be: a safe creative space to explore discomfort, physically and poetically.
We would like to acknowledge that this work was created and is being performed on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend this respect to any First Nations people who join us for the show. This production is performed in the Millarri Murnmut room of the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre. Millarri Murnmut means “outside breeze”. May that outside breeze bring you the crisp hope of spring and fine stories shared tonight. Art has been practiced and created on these lands for over 20,000 years we are but one small part of a long standing beautiful tradition and feel honoured to be able to create in these lands where sovereignty has never been ceded. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land.