Year of the Rooster
Schedule
Thu, 05 Mar, 2026 at 09:30 am
UTC+11:00Location
fortyfivedownstairs | Melbourne, VI
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YEAR OF THE ROOSTER by Olivia DufaultMarch 5 — 22nd at fortyfivedownstairs.
Following acclaimed and award-winning productions of The Crocodile (2023) and Rhinoceros (2024), Spinning Plates Co. are back to bring The Beast Trilogy to its bloody, feathered conclusion with the Australian premiere of Olivia Dufault’s Year of the Rooster.
Gil is a loser. He works at McDonalds and still lives with Mother. But that’s all about to change, because Gil has an ace up his sleeve: the biggest, baddest barnyard bird the world has ever seen. When Odysseus Rex hits the local cockfighting ring, there’ll be hell to pay… ‘cause this is gunna be his year, goddamnit!
This play is an “astonishingly entertaining”, bizarrely comedic underdog story for our violent times. It’s Tennessee Williams, but the rose-coloured glasses have been ripped off. It’s Homer’s Odyssey, set in the backstreets of Oklahoma. It’s beautiful and appalling, like a Happy Meal at 3am.
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DETAILS.
Preview: Thursday March 5th
Opening Night: Friday March 6th
Closing Night: Sunday March 22nd.
7:30pm (5pm on Sundays. No shows on Mondays.)
Approx. 75 minutes, no interval.
fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane Melbourne VIC 3000
The fortyfivedownstairs theatre is wheelchair accessible. If you have other access requirements please get in touch with fortyfivedownstairs at [email protected] or on +61 3 9662 9966 (office hours Tues-Fri 11-5pm).
Content Warning: Year of the Rooster contains some coarse language and adult themes, discussion of animal cruelty, characters who use homophobic and transphobic language, smoke, haze and loud noises.
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CREATIVE TEAM.
Director: Alexandra Aldrich
Cast: AYA, James Cerché, Natasha Herbert, Zachary Pidd, & Jessica Stanley
Set & Costume Designer: Dann Barber
Lighting Designer: Rachel Burke
Sound Designer: Ian Moorhead
Lighting Associate: Sam Martin
Costume Maker: Christie Milton
Stage Manager: Siena Bonnici
Assistant Stage Manager: AJ Woodward
Fight Choreography: Scott Jackson
Photographer: Sarah Clarke
Content Creator: Bridget Sweeney (Artistic Allsort)
Publicity: Cameron Lukey
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PRAISE FOR THE CROCODILE (2023).
Winner of three Green Room Awards for Best Direction, Best Set & Costume Design, and Best Performer.
“★★★★½…every element of stagecraft merges with guillotine-sharp synergy” — The Age
“★★★★½…everything about Spinning Plates Co’s The Crocodile works” — Theatre Matters
“★★★★½…if you want to step through the looking glass into all the delights Melbourne theatre has to offer, you couldn’t find a better place to start” — Arts Hub
“impeccable…a polished, professional, coruscating, very entertaining evening that speaks to our times now. See it.” — Stage Whispers
“This is such a clever, thoughtful piece of theatre…It should be remounted and toured interstate” — Richard Watts, 3RRR Smart Arts
PRAISE FOR RHINOCEROS (2024).
Nominated for two Green Room Awards for Best Direction and Best Set & Costume Design.
“★★★★…a rampaging success…Spinning Plate Co has done it again” — Arts Hub
“★★★★…full of glorious visual comedy and surreal surprises” — The Age
“★★★★…pure comic pandemonium…an experience absolutely worth the ride” — Limelight
“a wild mash of pantomime, burlesque, and meticulous ensemble work…pitch-perfect” — Australian Book Review
“Spinning Plates Co. demonstrate exceptional inventiveness in this quirky and highly stylised production…both hilarious and disturbing” — Stage Whispers
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Where is it happening?
fortyfivedownstairs, 37-45 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia, MelbourneEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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