La Boite unveils their 2024 season

La Boite Theatre’s 2024 season is one of revelation and discovery with four bold and diverse mainstage productions guaranteed to captivate and charm audiences.

New work, new perspectives and new faces take to the stage when Artistic Director Courtney Stewart puts the whole world on show in her highly anticipated second program.

The 2024 season starts with Patrick Marber’s cult classic Closer, followed by the tender and exquisite coming-of-age story Blue, the confetti-canon sparkle of world premiere children’s musical Fancy Long Legs and the sharp comedic take on the business of peace, Yoga Play.

Stewart:

She was proud to support Queensland’s arts sector by promoting new and contemporary work and providing exciting employment opportunities for creatives.

I am so delighted to present four big and brilliant mainstage productions in 2024 – a world premiere, a new look at an established favourite and two interstate co-productions.

This program strikes a wonderful balance between celebrating local talent, encouraging the development of thrilling new work and providing pathways for local artists to dream big and see their work continue to thrive beyond state borders.

A signature of each production is its exceptional writing and the way it presents an absorbing and unique insight into human relationships.

As La Boite looks forward to celebrating 100 years in 2025, it’s important to think about how we continue supporting our talented and vibrant sector for the next 100 years.

It is a privilege to present a 2024 program that continues La Boite’s pioneering legacy of championing local artists and offering a platform for new and important work.

The 2024 season launches with the unflinching and provocative Closer, a bruising and beautiful exploration of truth, lust, desire, betrayal and how adults approach relationships from 4 to 20 April.

The cult classic returns to the La Boite stage 24 years after it first got under the audience’s skin and 20 years since the film adaptation starring Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Clive Owen hit cinemas.

The smart and sharp work follows the lives of out-of-towner Alice, photographer Anna, obituary writer Dan and dermatologist Larry over several years as they meet, bond, separate and move on

Stewart will direct an all-star Queensland cast of Anna McGahan, Sophia Emberson-Bain, Kevin Spink and Colin Smith in the critically acclaimed work that blends classical tragedy, comedy and melodrama in a contemporary and relatable setting.

She Said:

Closer looks at the intricacies of relationships and what happens when we try to mould, shape and squeeze people into our ideal picture of them instead of taking them as they are.

The writing is amazing and I think the play’s examination of sexual politics and the myths of love and romance warrant re-interrogation in 2024.

By programming Closer as the 2024 season opener, we are delivering a powerful moment that really celebrates great Queensland actors and their incredible craft.

La Boite’s second mainstage production is Blue, a bold and deeply personal new work from a young and revelatory new voice in Australian writing.

Written and performed by Logie Award-winner Thomas Weatherall (Heartbreak High), Blue marks the writing debut of this accomplished actor and dancer from 16 to 31 May.

A work of “very personal fiction”, Blue is drawn from Weatherall’s experiences as a teenager and young adult, finding his place in the world and overcoming an onslaught of emotional circumstances.

This marks Blue’s Queensland debut and is directed by Deborah Brown, a choreographer and award-winning dancer.

It is presented in partnership with Belvoir, the Sydney-based theatre company also presenting Tiddas next year after its critically acclaimed world premiere season at La Boite in 2022.

Eamon Flack, Belvoir’s Artistic Director:

Both Tiddas and Blue are love letters to literature, to family, to First Nation storytelling and to the idea of the written word connecting us to the past, to joy and to grief.

Belvoir and La Boite audiences will be connected by the sharing of these two stories from each other’s cities – one from an extraordinary debuting writer, Thomas Weatherall, and one from the lauded and well-known Anita Heiss – both First Nation writers with a lot to share.

La Boite welcomes young – and young-at-heart – audiences with the world premiere of the brand-new, glittery musical, Fancy Long Legs, from 12 to 22 September.

Fancy Long Legs is the page-to-stage adaptation of the hotly anticipated new children’s book by Brisbane author and designer Rachel Burke.

It is the uplifting story of Fancy, a spider who loves to be creative but struggles to stay focused on web-building.

Through dazzling costumes, sparkly sets and a joyous original soundtrack, Fancy Long Legs weaves a tale of inclusion and acceptance that addresses neurodivergence in a wholesome and relatable way.

Burke Said:

Fancy Long Legs is about being unafraid to be your true self and how wonderful it is to have friends that rally around you; it celebrates discovery, play and curiosity instead of judging people for their differences.

Fancy doesn’t learn the same way as others so she embarks on a beautiful journey to find her own style and with the support of her community, finds a new way of learning and makes something no one else could have.

As well as plenty of razzle-dazzle and fun, we want this production to set a new precedent for accessibility and inclusion.

Presented in conjunction with Brisbane Festival and The Little Red Company, this bright and bold children’s work is directed by Stewart and adapted for the stage by Little Red Artistic Director Naomi Price.

Price Said:

Little Red is extremely passionate about creating accessible and inclusive theatrical experiences for all members of the community.

Fancy Long Legs is an opportunity to welcome families who have previously felt excluded from attending the theatre for access reasons and create a safe, welcoming space for all.

We can’t wait for 2024 to get a little bit ‘fancy’!

Brisbane Festival Artistic Director Louise Bezzina :

We are enormous supporters of both La Boite and Little Red and have worked very successfully making wonder happen for many years. Let’s continue that in 2024.

La Boite caps its show-stopping 2024 season with Yoga Play, an acerbic look at one company’s attempt to exploit inner peace, from 31 October to 16 November.

Yoga Play is a scathing and sassy takedown of cultural appropriation, exploitation, consumerism, fat shaming and yoga pants at any cost.

It chronicles the plight of besieged yoga apparel giant Jojomon and new CEO Joan who faces scandal after unsavoury scandal on her road to corporate redemption.

Yoga Play is written by US playwright Dipika Guha, helmed by internationally renowned director Mina Morita and co-produced with Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta.

Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta Executive Producer Joanne Kee:

We are committed to creating and presenting transformative and inspirational professional theatre experiences that reflect the world around us and the diversity of contemporary Australia.

We are so proud to partner with La Boite, a company that shares these values and vision, to present the Australian premiere season of Yoga Play.

“This hilarious work has won critical and audience acclaim internationally and we were drawn to it because of its relatability; its humour and heart hit close to home and I can’t wait for audiences at Riverside and La Boite to find their zen with us in 2024.

La Boite’s acclaimed skills development series returns in 2024 with masterclasses and workshops for artists and educators. Discover more at laboite.com.au/programs.

La Boite Theatre is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.

La Boite relies on donor support to create world-class theatre and nurture emerging artists with all donations tax-deductible and contributing directly to the creation and presentation of bold and compelling.

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