Here at Perth Arts Live, we know festival season in Perth/Boorloo (and beyond!) is hectic. There’s a lot to do, see, and plan when arts festivals overlap in such spectacular ways. To help readers make informed decisions about where to spend every moment of their free time during this culture-crammed season just like us, we’re asking The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights artists to ‘take five’ from their busy schedules to answer five questions about their shows. No rest for the weary, eh?
Dakota Gaudio takes five from what is surely her busy, pre-show, multi-hat-wearing schedule as Producer, Co-Director, Writer and Performer of A Third Place, a new theatre work about cultural heritage, family, and ‘third places’ for the Italian community around Walyalup/Fremantle. The show, presented by Definitely Good. and The Blue Room Theatre runs during Summer Nights from 11 – 15 Feb. About A Third Place:
“Maria is gay, Nonna is dead, these two things do not correlate. Rumours are flying through the family when Maria inherits the beloved local Italian social hub, Il Caffe Cafe. Now left to run a failing business, all while trying to navigate a culture in contrast with her values, Maria needs help. Divine intervention comes in the shape of her cousin, Bella, and the eccentrically mysterious drag queen, Monica Bocconcini. A bittersweet reflection on grief, cultural identity and queerness; A Third Place pulls apart the cross sections of culture, family and values, as the trio unravel the mysteries of the past to restore Il Caffe Cafe back to its former glory, and find an unlikely community along the way. “
Q1 What inspired the show, and what was the motivation for bringing it to The Blue Room Theatre for Summer Nights?
The personal grief and loss I had within my own life and the discoveries I had about my own cultural identity really were the driving forces behind the creation of this show. The more I discussed with my team the dysphoria you feel when you feel halfway in and halfway out of your own cultural identity, the more I discovered that the feeling was mutual. We realised that as the world goes on we are losing places, culture and history due to the challenges of the economy and lack of community.
In a broader context I saw a Facebook video about this lady in either Sydney or Melbourne keeping her cafe open just so the old customers who have been going there for decades can still go and enjoy their time away from the world, the company of their friends and community. I think increasingly in such an isolated and expensive city, if we were to lose these places that bring people together, what do we have? What do young people have? What is free and viable for our community to be involved in? How can we actively choose to make community? This was an overarching question of the show.
Q2 What’s the most unexpected, funny, or interesting thing that has happened during the show’s development?
The amount of silliness that we discovered is pertinent to Italian culture. A lot of our bonds within the team have become stronger as we rehearse and we really didn’t realise we lived the same life 🙂
Q3 What does the audience absolutely need to know before they come to see the show? (without spoilers, of course!)
We’ll be releasing our Italian guide on the @_definitelygood Instagram soon so non Italian folks can understand all our woggy jokes.
Q4 If you could invite any famous person (living or dead) to the show, who would it be and why?
@big.vincenz on Instagram – we love him, he’s our wog hero!
Q5 What other show(s) would pair well with yours for a delicious summer festival feast?
Broken Toy! She’s our pop princess and we love her!
BONUS ROUND: In 10 words or less, give us your last ditch pitch to get folks in to see the show!
Gay, Grief, Woggy, and Drag bring your Nonna NOW!
