Forthcoming play tackles the questions of oil, imperialism and personal relationships

October 20, 2022
Issue 
Oil Black Swan Theatre
Black Swan Theatre cast members rehearsing for the forthcoming play, 'Oil'. Photo supplied

Imperialism, energy, environmental crisis and mother-daughter relationships are the subject matter of Ella Hickson’s play, Oil that begins its Perth Black Swan Theatre Company production season on November 5.

Premiered in London in 2016, critics have variously described Oil as “bold, playful and scorchingly ambitious”, “intelligently-observed” and as a play that “tirelessly condemns the world’s obsession with and waste of oil”.

Oil utilises a time-travelling narrative, which is metaphorical rather than sci-fi, traversing the globe tracing the shifts of imperial power.

“Oil is everything great theatre should be; ambitious, exciting, and brimming with heart,” says the play’s Perth director, Adam Mitchell. “It takes us on a journey of big ideas in the search for light. It’s the kind of play that comes about once in a decade.”

[For more information and to book tickets, visit: https://blackswantheatre.com.au/whats-on/oil.]

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