My Love is a one act ‘who-dunnit’ theatre piece that aims to shift the current expectations of queer representation in performance art. Whilst most media reaches its diversity quota with shallow tropes like the ‘gay best friend’ or uses queer trauma as a plot device; My Love centres the story of a lesbian couple, as they navigate a farcical breakup. This play is an abstract comedy/farce that employs Brechtian theatre conventions (such as addressing the audience directly, narrative interruptions, commentary upon the play). It is a two person show, co-created and produced by lesbians. It incorporates our lived experiences as queer people, and dramatises those moments to abstract levels to provide comic relief.
My Love begins with a grounded tone. It features a main character whom the audience connects and empathises with, as she explains her girlfriend is cheating on her. As the plot moves into motion it is revealed she is an unreliable narrator. So, as the audience begins to question the lead character, the sensical aspects of the play diminish, and the farcical aspects increase. The actors take on different roles like a detective as the piece culminates in a climactic murder. It’s full of twists and turns, and maintains a playful and comedic tone throughout the entire act.
My Love supports LInc’s mission of supporting lesbians and friends in Australia in multiple ways. The play is being written, directed and produced by two queer and nonbinary emerging creatives from regional Australia. Although influenced by queerness, My Love isn’t a piece that is defined by its queerness. It explores themes of heartbreak, suspicion and infidelity; all of which just happen to be occurring within a queer framework.
This sort of representation is vital for the lesbian community as it humanises us to the general public. The piece meets a cultural and recreational need for lesbians by not centralising queer trauma, and rather embracing playful theatre conventions to deliver an enjoyable experience for all audiences.
Positive representation for lesbians is crucial to improving the wellbeing of young queer people, especially those who face additional barriers like access to queer friendly communities. As both co-creators hail from regional Australia, they are passionate about making this play accessible to regional Australia. The LInc Grant is going towards helping the producers find a space to have their debut and develop a social media presence (coming soon).
