Skating in the Clouds

Clare Mendes and Melbourne Writers’ Theatre present the world premiere season of

Skating in the Clouds
Written by Clare Mendes
Directed by Emily Farrell

After love comes denial … after denial comes the party to end all parties!

Summer and Autumn are in love, but there’s a problem in their love nest. While Summer plans a spectacular skating party, Autumn roams the house, spanner in hand, looking for a drip she can’t see. With cracks emerging in their relationship, puddles appear on the floor and tough questions need to be asked. What if Julia Gillard doesn’t like the ornamental ice vulture, or Penny Wong can’t skate? And why is ice starting to appear on the floor of their St Kilda living room?

A modern fairytale that begins with salsa, pirouettes into the clouds, and ends on a snow-capped mountain, Skating in the Clouds is an adventurous new work by playwright Clare Mendes. The latest creation from Melbourne Writers’ Theatre, with MWT members Emily Farrell and Ellie Nielsen leading the crew as director and assistant director, Skating in the Clouds draws audiences into the striking relationship of Summer and Autumn.

A magic-realist romp that celebrates the intricacies of female love and the remarkability of 50+ women, this premiere season is rich in romance, arguments, dreaming - and skating! Running at Melbourne’s iconic Theatre Works, this final season at the venue in 2024 is not to be missed.

Clare Mendes is an Australian writer. Born in Melbourne her novels include Drift Street, The Curtain Raiser, A Race Across Burning Soil (HarperCollins) and The Unvoiced Consonant (Little Owl Press). Previous plays include The Agreement (La Mama Courthouse, 2015), Trash Goes Down The River (Bluestone Church Arts Space, 2017) and A Flower for Moses (Gasworks Arts Park, 2021). Skating in the Clouds is the first in a series of three new plays that Clare is writing for performance by an all-female cast and crew. Clare is the Company Manager of Melbourne Writers Theatre and has produced MWT’s theatrical seasons since 2015.

Writer and Producer: Clare Mendes
Director: Emily Farrell
Assistant Director: Ellie Nielsen
Performers: Rebecca Morton, Katrina Mathers, Shamita Sivabalan and El Kiley
Set Designer: Bianca Pardo
Sound Designer: Sharyn Brand
Lighting Designer: Natalia Velasco Moreno
Assistant Stage Manager: Barbara Yazbeck
Movement Coordinator: Lucy Payne
Dramaturge: Elizabeth Walley
Photographer: Anna Moloney-Heath
Publicist: Sassy Red PR

4 – 14 December 2024
Tues - Sat 7:30pm
Opening Night: Thursday 5 December
Tickets: $45 Full, $35 Concession, $28 Preview, $20 Mob tix and 20 for $20 (+ booking fee)
Enquiries: (03) 9534 3388

Duration: 90 minutes no interval
Age Suitability: 18+
Warnings: Intimacy, themes of depression, anxiety, self-harm, climate change, haze, strobe
Accessibility: Theatre Works is a wheelchair accessible venue. Full access guide available closer to the date, please contact admin@theatreworks.org.au for information.