With a genre-bending take on Romeo and Juliet, Flinders Drama Centre will hit the stage this Adelaide Fringe with the South Australian premiere of award-winning playwright Rita Kalnejais’s, First Love is the Revolution.
Performed by Honours-year acting students, the play will run from 4-9 March at the renowned Holden Street Theatres and be directed by Hannah Smith, Flinders’ inaugural Honours student of the new Bachelor of Performance in Directing – Australia’s only specialist undergraduate degree for theatre directors.
Originally premiering at London’s Soho Theatre, and later performed at Sydney’s famed Griffin Theatre Company, First Love is the Revolution is a darkly comedic tale reimagining Romeo and Juliet in a surreal world where love defies nature’s laws.
It follows Rdeca and Basti, two star-crossed teenage lovers whose connection defies not only their feuding parents but also their species, exploring themes of self-discovery, young love, and explosive sexual awakening, delivering a theatrical experience that is as poignant as it is provocative.
“This play is daring, heartfelt, and uniquely challenging, and I’m thrilled to bring its bold vision to life with the talented students of Flinders Drama Centre,” says Smith.
Flinders Drama Centre Manager Dr Christopher Hurrell highlighted the unique opportunities provided to students through staging productions such as this.
“From Gale Edwards (1975) to Benedict Andrews (1995) and through to now, Flinders Drama Centre has developed world-leading directors for stage and screen,” says Dr Hurrell.
“Now that expertise has been distilled into a dedicated degree course for directors, the only one of its kind in Australia.
“I’m thrilled Hannah and the entire cast has the opportunity to take their learnings and showcase them within one of Australia’s premier arts festivals.”
An Australian writer based in London, Rita Kalnejais’s work has been performed extensively in Australia.
A resident playwright at Sydney Theatre Company in 2011/12, she is currently under commission from Bell Shakespeare Company and Belvoir Theatre in Australia, as well writing a co-commission for the National Theatre and the Kenyon Institute, Ohio.
Her work was last seen in Adelaide with the State Theatre Company South Australia producing her play Babyteeth, later adapted into a feature film starring Essie Davis and Ben Mendelsohn with Kalnejais awarded the AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Film.
Don’t miss this bold and captivating production that showcases the next generation of theatrical talent from Flinders Drama Centre.
Performance Details: First Love is the Revolution premieres on 4th March 2024 at Holden Street Theatres.
Tickets and more information: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/first-love-is-the-revolution-af2025
