Dickens Street – The Other

Opening nights are dramatic, but this one takes the cake. It’s the premiere of a Latvian classic, Princess Gundega and King Bushybeard, and the star of the show goes missing. Join the immersive production of DICKENS STREET - THE OTHER and follow the trail through the Melbourne Latvian House as the ensemble struggles to make the show go on. This is a bilingual show based on interviews with the Latvian community across Australia. It's performed by a mix of theatre artists from Melbourne, Riga and Toronto, created together with the Latvian community ensemble which has been going strong ever since the doors opened at the Latvian House on Dickens Street. After the carnage of war and forced migration, Latvians in St. Kilda harnessed their endorphin-releasing powers of song, dance, and drama to cure their PTSD’. The songs these refugees taught their children were packed full of sustainability instructions,like harvesting healing herbs, or forest foraging and remedies for depression if you lost your pony. Quaint and folksy then, today they’re stunning green living codes. Nevertheless, over the years, the strain of sustaining their ancestral practices amidst a dominant culture caused cracks in the community. And that's why, on opening night, the star of the show runs away. Audiences will follow the Understudy; her dad the Old Timer, or the Boyfriend as they wend their way through the building on Dickens Street. We guarantee everyone will learn the best way of sticking your anxiety under a rock.