Ode to Isaiah Walsh
Theatre
DIRECTOR
YEAR
Austin Hayden & Ben Chapple
2024
"‘Ode To Isaiah Walsh’ is clever, captivating theatre" - City Hub
"A clever examination of the notion of performance, in art and in life both. The performances in Ode are stellar… the results are tender, funny and cynical all at once" - Sydney Arts Guide
"Writer Ben Chapple turns [the show] on itself brilliantly in the play’s final stretch" - Sydney Arts Guide
Overview
Stars can be made… and stars can die.
A dead body has been found in the penthouse of SINGER, an aging pop star in the vein of David Bowie. SINGER’s management team hustle to clean up the mess, but the tragedy has convinced SINGER that he must make drastic changes – to reclaim his lost artistic voice.
SINGER must confront the trade-offs made in pursuit of celebrity and purpose. His past haunts him, while his future becomes increasingly uncertain.
Set against the world of glam-rock, Ode examines the persona as performance. It confronts inescapable class divisions, and blurs the lines of gender and sexuality in the reclaiming of one man’s identity.
Cast
Madeline Marie Dona as Corinne/Lorraine/Jessie
Ben Chapple as Barry
Sean Luther Hall as Damien
Sian Ewers as Ariel
Isaro Kayitesi as Elliot
Nick Drummond & Austin Hayden as Singer
Creatives
Playwright: Ben Chapple
Directors: Austin Hayden & Ben Chapple
Producer: Austin Hayden
Costume Designer: Lulu Ross
Production Coordinator & Props: Jacob Adam
Lighting Designer: Victor Kalka
Sound Designer: Jessica Pizzinga
Stage Manager: Isobel Morrissey
Other works
