#NoExemptions

No amount of privilege can protect anyone from the consequences.

In the not too distant future, global environmental collapse triggers wars,
the movement of millions of people, failure of mass food production and the breakdown of democracies. But this story focuses on one woman’s
desperate struggle to survive.
Maria lives in a city plagued by chronic food and water shortages. Now
it is survival of the fittest and young people have the competitive advantage.
The controlling gang has made the brutal decision that non-essential
people over 50 years old must be rounded up, deported and killed. Maria
is trapped in her apartment with her husband Paul and their neighbor, Ewa.
Their last moments are a bitter competition for food and water. But Maria
refuses to give up. Maria plans her escape. She needs to see her son one last
time. And when she does – nothing is as she wished.

#NOEXEMPTIONS is a play about the last ninety minutes of one woman’s life. This is future environmental Armageddon as experienced by one family, in one city, at one time. It is a mother’s lament, a poet’s surrender, a child’s rebellion and a narcissist’s appreciation of good lipstick…In this crisis we see the humour of what we value at the end, the strength of our love for each other and the tragic consequences of old mistakes.

#NoExemptions explores a dystopian vision for humanity that is not predictable, but a savage critique of current privilege and inequality—with a twist- and not without humour. Told from the intimacy of one family’s crisis and isolation, the play is a compacted moment in time in which unfolding events are the result of an already projected environmental collapse from climate change, pollution and over consumption. No amount of privilege can protect anyone from the consequences. #NoExemptions is a bold, confronting and provocative statement of human equality. We all share one world

Creative
Collaborators

Helen Hopkins

Co-founder of The Shift Theatre

HELEN HOPKINS is co-founder of The Shift Theatre, a member of La Mama’s Committee of Management, a scriptwriter, theatre producer and an actor with a long career in both film and theatre, including many La Mama productions.

Carolyn Bock

Co-Founder of The Shift Theatre

CAROLYN BOCK (Co-producer and performer) Co-Founder of The Shift Theatre, Carolyn is a graduate of The Victorian College of the Arts and her extensive performance career over 25 years has spanned dance and drama.

Angela Buckingham

Writer

ANGELA BUCKINGHAM the writer, is currently writing a book for Five Mile Press and her latest play will be performed at the Cammerspiele in Leipzig Germany in October 2020 directed by the German director, Michaela Maxi Shultz.

Eva Seymour

Cast

EVA SEYMOUR (Performer) is an actor and writer, passionate about both theatre and film-making.

Susie Dee

Director

SUSIE DEE the director, has worked extensively in the theatre as a performer, devisor and director in Australia and overseas for the past thirty years.

Endrico Botha

Cast

ENDRICO BOTHA (Performer) Endrico (he/him) is a South African-Australian actor based in Naarm/Melbourne.

Hugh Sexton

Cast

HUGH SEXTON (Performer) has been working in and around the Arts scene for over 20 years after graduating from Wollongong Uni with a BA in theatre

Ian Moorhead

Sound Designer

IAN MOORHEAD the sound designer is a Melbourne based artist specialising in music composition and sound design for theatre, dance, film and radio. He has performed around Australia and internationally, including New York, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Wellington, Calgary and Vancouver.

Sophie Woodward

Set and Costume Designer

SOPHIE WOODWARD is a Melbourne based Set and Costume designer. Sophie graduated with a Bachelor of Production (Design) from VCA in 2010 winning the Beleura John Tallis Design Award in her final year. Sophie recently designed set and costumes for Iphigenia in Splott at Red Stitch Actors Theatre, Those Who Fall in Love like Anchors Dropped Upon the Ocean Floor at HotHouse Theatre and Burn This at FortyFive Downstairs

Gina Gascoigne

Lighting Designer

GINA GASCOIGNE is a lighting designer with over 30 years of experience. She spent many years touring in Europe as a lighting designer and operator, working with contemporary dance groups and physical theatre companies.

Claire Shepherd

Stage Manager

CLAIRE SHEPHERD studied stage management and technical theatre at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. Since moving to Australia, she has managed numerous music and corporate stages from Festivals to Gala Balls!