STORIES OF LOVE & HATE
by Roslyn Oades
Developed in association with Bankstown Youth Development Service

PERFORMANCE HISTORY

MCA Museum of Contemporary Arts
12 December 2009

Roslyn Oades and three of the four original cast members
Mohammed Ahmed, Roderick Byrnes & Katia Molino joined together to talk
about the process of creating Stories of Love & Hate, including several
short performances. This presentation was part of Fiona Foley's exhibition.

I just loved the performance on Saturday night – I can’t stop thinking
about it.  It was an absolute pleasure to be amongst wonderful art watching
a wonderful performance.  I can’t think of a nicer way to spend a Saturday
evening.  Thank you.

2008
Sutherland Shire Season
18 to 22 November
Bankstown Season
25 to 29 November

Special schools performances

STORIES OF LOVE & HATE

A funny, fun, insightful and important work that won’t lose you for a second … 200 per cent free of judgement – and full to the brim of joy
FBi RADIO (FBi-voted top theatre show of 2008)

Where matters of the heart are concerned, there’s always two sides to the story… The Love God dedicates a song to your sweetheart and estranged neighbours bare their hearts in this candid storytelling adventure.

Stories of Love & Hate explores great loves, broken hearts and the fragile bonds that hold our society together. At times funny, bizarre and confronting, cultures and ideologies collide in this intimate and innately Australian exploration of love and loss. Drawing on an infamous local incident, which attracted worldwide attention, Stories of Love & Hate considers the idea of hate as a consequence of feeling the things we love are under threat. The result is a collection of interlinking personal stories told with affection, integrity and humour.

In repeating these stories of love and hate with such sensitivity and artistry, the performance provides us with an opportunity to re-hear our fellow citizens and to rehearse new modes of local, cultural, and national belonging.
REALTIME #89

Stories of Love & Hate traces the lives and loves of people directly affected by the 2005 Cronulla riots including a group of pro surfers, a carload of ‘bass heads’, elderly ocean swimmers, a philosophical father, Muslim schoolgirls, a newspaper photographer and a baton-wielding cop. Over a two-year period, director Roslyn Oades interviewed 65 residents, aged between 14 and 79, from Bankstown and the Sutherland Shire on the ’love of their life’. Sidestepping the media hype and social outrage surrounding the event, the source material for this unique verbatim theatre show is directly inspired by the passionate people who were there.

Who saw it and what they said
In it’s premiere season, Stories of Love & Hate’s total attendance for the public season was at 90% capacity of the venues in Bankstown and in the Sutherland Shire. A majority of audience survey respondents were Australian-born (80%), while a significant number of respondents (21%) spoke a language other than English at home.

Audience surveys show that most respondents (79%) loved or (20%) liked the performance. Here’s some of the comments we received about the show:

...Beautifully crafted, integrity & heart
Bankstown audience member

It touched every emotion, saw so much of my family, friends etc in the characters. I laughed, cried, smiled - just loved it.
Sutherland Shire audience member

One of the most excellent pieces of theatre I have ever seen. Beautifully crafted, wonderful humane engrossing charming warm sad piece of art expertly performed.
Bankstown audience member

Deft and sensitive handling of a difficult subject matter.
Sutherland Shire audience member

Arts Hub

View Stories of Love & Hate Exhibition.

Performers
Mohammed Ahmad, Roderic Byrnes, Janie Gibson & Katia Molino

Sound Artist
Bob Scott

Designer
Clare Britton

Script Consultant
Andrew Ma

Artistic Consultant
Deborah Pollard

Community Liaison
Tim Carroll







"A resolutely truthful and non actorly work, with beautifully accurate rendering of the cadences, timing and slippages of real speach as opposed to the well- crafted phoniness of actors reciting lines." The Sydney Morning Herald, Nov 21. 2008