Rising star. Sweet and sour. Coming-of-age.
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.
Winner of the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award
A co-production with Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta
Want to go deeper? View the online program
From Declan
‘In 2021, Orange Thrower’s season was cancelled just a couple of weeks before the start of rehearsals. Thankfully it’s back in 2022—the design is beautiful, the cast is sublime, and I can’t wait to see the fruits of the dynamic collaboration of Kirsty and Zindzi.’
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
With Callan Colley, Angela Nica Sullen, Mariama Whitton, Gabriela van Wyk
Preview 18 – 22 February
Opening Nights 23 & 24 February
Season 25 February – 26 March
Performance Times
Monday – Friday 7pm
Saturday 1pm & 7pm
Meet the Artists
Tuesday 1 March
Captioned Performance
Tuesday 8 March
Run Time
80 Minutes
Latecomers
Please note, there is a complete lock-out on all performances and latecomers won’t be admitted, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to us, grab a drink, and get settled.
2022 Main Season Ticket Pricing
| Full | $62 |
| Senior, Preview, Groups 8+ | $52 |
| Concession | $46 |
| Under 35 | $38 |
| Monday Rush* | $20 |
*Monday Rush tickets are available online and over the phone on Mondays from noon, for that evening’s performance until sold out.
2022 Season Subscription Pricing
| 6 Play | 5 Play | 4 Play | |||
| Full | $288 | Full | $255 | Full | $216 |
| Senior, Preview | $240 | Senior, Preview | $205 | Senior, Preview | $176 |
| Concession | $210 | Concession | $185 | Concession | $156 |
| Under 35 | $192 | Under 35 | $170 | Under 35 | $140 |
| 3 Play | 2 Play | Griffin Lookout | |||
| Full | $168 | Full | $116 | Single | $35 |
| Senior, Preview | $138 | Senior, Preview | $98 | 2-pack | $64 |
| Concession | $123 | Concession | $86 | Concession | |
| Under 35 | $108 | Under 35 | $74 | Under 35 | |
Production Images
Images by Brett Boardman
Meet the Playwright | Kirsty Marillier
Meet the Director | Zindzi Okenyo
Trailer
Audience Reactions
“The diverse characters bounce off each other, lighting up the stage like a pinball machine, erupting into hysterical laughter, joyous dancing and quivering epiphanies.” Harriet Cunningham, The Sydney Morning Herald
“This team of creatives and visionaries have weathered storms and pandemics to bring this inspiring and thoughtful piece to the intimate space of the Stables Theatre.” Christina Donoghue, Limelight Magazine
“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.” Justin Clarke, Theatre Thoughts
“Often exuberantly funny and strutting the wild side, it also offers a deeply moving portrayal of the struggle to find self-acceptance.” Catherine Skipper, South Sydney Herald
“Pithy and zesty, Kirsty Marillier’s debut play Orange Thrower is a compact calling card for an emerging writer ready to be noticed.” Richard Cotter, Sydney Arts Guide
“Marillier’s script is constructed beautifully, with characters and dialogue that are incredibly grounded and multifaceted.” Gavin Roach, Australian Arts Review
“…An enjoyable 80 minutes of theatre, with genuinely funny moments, clever use of restricted space, and a likeable cast.” Rita Bratovich, Time Out
“There is something original in Marillier and Okenyo’s mode of storytelling that takes a little getting used to, with an innovative spirit that ultimately proves gratifying.” Suzy Wrong, Suzy Goes See
“Kirsty Marillier has created a play with specific insight into one of the subcultures within Australia, that somehow also has a universality that speaks across lines of race and age.” Laura Heuston, Theatre Travels
How to use your Dine & Discover voucher:
To use your voucher at Griffin, call our friendly Box Office team with the below information on hand:
- Your 9-digit character code (which can be found just under the QR code of your voucher).
- Your card details to pay the remainder of the ticket price.
- The performance details for the show you’d like to book into.
Please note that only one voucher can be use per transaction. Your vouchers are valid until 30 June 2022. Please visit the Service NSW website for further information.
Orange Thrower contains sexual themes and depictions of drug use, racism and gun violence and uses strobe lighting during the performance.
If you have questions regarding the content of the play, please contact our Box Office team.
Orange Thrower was developed through Griffin Studio and Sydney Theatre Company’s Rough Draft program, and received support from Green Door Theatre Company.
Special thanks to Universal Music Publishing for allowing Griffin the use of:
“Sadie The Cleaning Lady”
Written by: Raymond Gilmore / John Madara / David White Double Diamond Music, Songs Of Universal, Inc. Administered by: Universal Music Publishing Pty Ltd
“Attitude”
Written by: Michael Barney / Hasben Jones
Almo Music Corp.
Administered by: Universal Music Publishing Pty Ltd
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