The night is still. The air is hot and thick. From up on the roof, matching houses stretch as far as the eye can see. Welcome to the sunny suburb of Paradise.
While her folks are back in Johannesburg, Zadie is holding down the family fort. This means keeping her little sis away from bush doofs, avoiding the cute boy next door, and smiling when her nice white neighbours try to touch her hair.
All that changes when an unexpected visitor bursts back into Zadie’s life in the middle of the night, breaking the silence with loud music and even louder opinions. To make matters worse, someone’s been pelting the house with oranges. All of a sudden, Zadie’s got a big, sticky suburban mess on her hands.
Orange Thrower is the award-winning debut play from Kirsty Marillier. A fresh twist on the Australian coming-of-age story, this play is a joyful comedy, a curious mystery, and a poignant love letter to South African women.
Directed with zest by musician, performer and director Zindzi Okenyo, and starring a kick-arse ensemble playing larger-than-life characters, Orange Thrower rolls into our 2022 Season from 2021, ripe and ready for an unforgettable premiere on the SBW Stables stage.
Approximate Duration: 80minutes.
Content Warnings: sexual themes and depictions of drug use, racism and gun violence and uses strobe lighting during the performance.
“Orange Thrower is a piece of theatre that is fresh, new and yet all too familiar at the same time. This is a stellar debut; a diverse piece of surreal storytelling that will have you thinking long after you’ve left the theatre.”
“Often exuberantly funny and strutting the wild side, it also offers a deeply moving portrayal of the struggle to find self-acceptance.”
“The diverse characters bounce off each other, lighting up the stage like a pinball machine, erupting into hysterical laughter, joyous dancing and quivering epiphanies.”
Cast
LEROY/SHARRON Callan Colley
STEKKIE/PAUL Zindzi Okenyo
VIMSY Mariama Whitton
ZADIE Gabriela van Wyk
Creative Team
Director Zindzi Okenyo
Designer Jeremy Allen
Lighting Designer Verity Hampson
Associate Lighting Designer Veronique Benett
Composer & Sound Designer Benjamin Pierpoint
Dramaturg Declan Greene
Directing Secondment Chemon Theys
Intimacy Director Cessalee Stovall
Wigs Stylist Dynae Wood
Stage Manager Hannah Crane
Film Credits
Executive Producers: Grant Dodwell, Peter Hiscock, Raj Sidhu; Producers: Lucy Clements & Emma Wright; Director: Peter Hiscock; Director of Photography: Paul Howard; Camera Operators: Chris Bland, Andrew McClymont, Jose Alkon; Camera Assistant: Rhys Luscombe; Sound Assistant: Ruby Bonnett; Editor: Bryan Moses; Sound Recordist: Glenn Fitzpatrick; Sound Mix: Abigail Sie; Colourist: Bryan Moses; Marketing Manager: Sean Landis; Associate Producer: Celeste Dodwell