Stage Two Productions presents Caustic

Stage Two Productions presents Caustic

A Revolutionary New Work by Thomas Sainsbury
Featuring Love, Death, Capitalism…
and a Theremin

“…theatre is not about being safe – it is about expression…”
Square
Producer

“Caustic is infused with a sense of urgency and immediacy – the themes are challenging and we are hoping the public will not back down from that…”
Thomas Sainsbury
Playwright & Director

“There are a lot of people who aren’t afraid to ask questions. They’re not just going to sit back and believe that everything they are told is fair and balanced…”
Thomas Sainsbury
Playwright & Director

After several weeks of wading through legal advice, and some serious soul-searching, Stage Two Productions has decided to go ahead with their upcoming season of Caustic. The play, which had a workshops season first production at the University of Auckland Drama Studio in January, presented a real problem for Stage Two Productions’ Executive, with a script that was not just ethically and artistically challenging, but also carried the possibility of litigation.

Producer Square says much consideration has gone into the decision. “We thought about it for a long time, and throughout that we knew that it would be easier to just give up and go with something safe”, says Square. “But theatre is not about being safe – it is about expression – and artistic endeavours sometimes need to be intrepid. We honestly believe that the ideas in this play need to be presented to the public, but that’s never going to happen if we stifle ourselves from the get-go.”

Caustic is the work of rising talent Thomas Sainsbury, whose one-man play Basement will open at the Dublin Cube Theatre later this year. Sainsbury will also be directing Caustic, following his stint as director of the celebrated University of Auckland 2007 Outdoor Summer Shakespear production of The Merchant of Venice.

“Caustic is infused with a sense of urgency and immediacy – the themes are challenging and we are hoping the public will not back down from that”, Sainsbury explains. “The success of new wave of political documentaries and books over the last few years have shown that there is a lot political and social awareness out there, maybe more than we gave credit for in the ‘90s. There are a lot of people who aren’t afraid to ask questions. They’re not just going to sit back and believe that everything they are told is fair and balanced – more and more they are finding stuff out for themselves and challenging authority. Caustic has sprung from that movement.”

Caustic will open at the Musgrove Theatre - Maidment Studio on Friday, April 27th and runs to Saturday, May 5th. It features Love, Death, Capitalism… and a Theremin. We welcome your expressions of interest to talk with us more about this project by emailing us at caustic@stage2.co.nz. If you would like to watch Caustic grow from its script into a living, breathing theatrical experience, check out Caustic online at www.caustic.stage2.co.nz.

ENDS

© Scoop Media