AustLit

'Force Majeure brings theatre legends Paul Capsis, Olwen Fouéré and Pamela Rabe together with its new youth company for a truly epic new production. Presented at Sydney Festival and commissioned by Carriageworks, The Last Season features thirteen 9-14 year-olds from our youth company, which has been made possible through strategic funding from the NSW government. Using Vivaldi’s Four Seasons as a departure point for an intergenerational conversation exploring ageing, environmental destruction and speculative paths to human survival, The Last Season asks: How did we get here? What have we built? How can we continue?' (Production summary)

'Over the past few decades the word 'parenting' has crept insidiously, almost imperceptibly, into our vernacular bringing with it increasing anxiety around issues of raising children. Is the pressure to get it right overwhelming us? And what is "good parenting" anyway? Are children today given too much choice? Too few boundaries? Less chance to take risks? Are they protected from notions of failure? Sexualised too young?

Drawing inspiration from Christos Tsiolkas' best-selling novel The Slap, Force Majeure's Artistic Director Kate Champion and her company interviewed people of all ages and backgrounds to garner their views on the subject of parenting. In a familiar, yet disconcertingly Lynchian, Aussie backyard seven actors and dancers create a myriad of familiar characters from the verbatim text that they collected.' Source: www.sydneytheatre.com.au/ (Sighted 26/9/2011)