Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Tuesday 10 November
6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Location
wheelercentre.com
'I’m not Australian, I’m not Greek, I’m not anything ... What I am is a runner. Running away from a thousand and one things that people say you have to be or should want to be.'
Loaded by Christos Tsiolkas is one of Melbourne’s most iconic works of fiction. In Tsiolkas's high-octane, sex- and drugs-fuelled 1995 debut novel we follow 19-year-old Ari – Greek, gay and furious with the world – as he moves through the east, north, west and south of the city.
Loaded has been adapted three times. First, into the feature film, Head On, starring Alex Dimitriades. More recently, playwright Dan Giovannoni and Tsiolkas himself developed a contemporary adaptation for the stage. With the play’s planned October debut cancelled due to social restrictions, Malthouse Theatre has commissioned a unique third adaptation: an audio experience. You might not be able to watch Ari pace the stage, but you can now hear his distinctive voice in your ears as you walk the streets of Melbourne.
To launch the audio experience, we'll present a discussion with Tsiolkas, Giovannoni and the director of both the play and audio experience, Stephen Nicolazzo. With host Rebecca Harkins-Cross they'll discuss Melbourne scenes, adaptation hurdles and why Ari never gets old.
Presented in partnership with Malthouse Theatre.
Our online bookseller for this event will be Readings.
Featuring
Christos Tsiolkas
Christos Tsiolkas is the author of eight novels – Loaded, The Jesus Man, Dead Europe, The Slap, Barracuda, Damascus, 7 ½, The In-Between - and the short story collection, Merciless Gods. Many of his works have been ...
Dan Giovannoni
Dan Giovannoni writes plays for families, young people, and adults. Recent credits include Air Race (Arena Theatre Company), Merciless Gods (Little Ones Theatre), Bambert’s Book of Lost Stories (Barking Gecko Theatre Company), Turbine (Malthouse Theatre), Jurassica (Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre), and with Amelia Chandos Evans, Cut Snake and Mad as a Cute Snake. Dan was an inaugural writer in residence at Melbourne Theatre Company as a part of the NEXT STAGE program, and is currently under commission from Barking Gecko, Malthouse Theatre, and Melbourne Theatre Company.
Stephen Nicolazzo
Stephen is a theatre maker, director and co-founder of queer theatre company, Little Ones Theatre. He is also co-artistic director of Western Edge. Upcoming: Looking for Alibrandi (Malthouse Theatre, Belvoir). Recent Credits include: Loaded (Malthouse Theatre), Considerable Sexual License (Joel Bray Dance), Merciless Gods (Arts Centre Melbourne, Griffin Theatre Company), Abigail’s Party (Melbourne Theatre Company), End Of. (Griffin Theatre Company, Darebin Arts Speakeasy), Judith Lucy and Denise Scott’s Still Here (Token Entertainment), The Happy Prince (Griffin Theatre Company), The Moors (Red Stitch), Daddy (Joel Bray Dance, Arts House, Arts Centre Melbourne, Brisbane Festival, Perth Festival, Darwin Festival) and Meme Girls (Malthouse Theatre). He is a Green Room Award winner for Best Director. His productions have received 12 Green Room Award wins and a Sydney Theatre Award. Stephen was also the recipient of the Besen Family Artist Award (2009) and was a member of the 2019 Lincoln Centre Theatre’s Directors Lab.
View Profile
Rebecca Harkins-Cross
Rebecca Harkins-Cross is a writer and cultural critic from Naarm/Melbourne. Her work has been published widely in journals and periodicals across Australia and the world.
Rebecca is currently a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University's Writing Program in New York City and finalising her PhD in Creative Writing at Monash University. Past roles include theatre critic at The Age, film editor at The Big Issue and long-running film columnist at The Lifted Brow.
Her book The Headless Woman will be out soon via Fireflies Press.
View Profile