Cabaret

All The Best Roles Are Written For Men

Every audition room is full of female talent - so why are all the best roles written for men?

Dates 02 - 08 Oct
Time 9:00pm (60 minutes)
Venue The Motley Bauhaus - Black Box

$28.00

Sessions & Tickets View Comments

Wheelchair Accessible

A Woman with long straight hair pulled up into a ponytail sits straddling an old metal worked chair. She's wearing a denim jacket with pins on the lapels, and is smirking at the camera with her chin resting on her right knuckles, hand in a fist. She has a red bandana around her ponytail, and is sitting in front of a wall covered in plant pots.

A woman stands looking up and out of frame to the right, wearing a denim overshirt, black pants, a black tank top and a red bandana around her long straight ponytail. She looks frustrated, with hand held near her waist. She's standing next to a desk piled with books, paperwork and a fake Oscars Awards statuette.

A woman with long straight hair, standing on a stage and looking back over her shoulder at the camera. Coloured lights from the back make her blue and purple in an otherwise dark image, with the seating of the auditorium visible behind her.

Past Event

Cabaret Fringe Fund

Image Credit: Jason Matz

Written and Performed by: Kate O'Sullivan
Lighting design: Joshua Veitch

Theatre, statistics and feminism collide to try and uncover why there are so few roles for women. Is it a relic of historical oppression, a by-product of the stories we tell or simply a fact of life? A new musical cabaret, 'All The Best Roles Are Written For Men' aims to tackle these very questions.

Performer and science communicator Kate O’Sullivan has always been passionate about equality and visibility in the theatre. She’s bringing this passion to the Fringe in the form of her debut one-woman cabaret looking at the state of gender bias in the performing arts.

“Every year we hear people talking about how important gender equality is, but in the most visible of industries, the performing arts, the situation couldn’t be more different”.

'All The Best Roles Are Written For Men' looks at roles both onstage and backstage, and where the lack of representation of women and non-binary performers really comes from. With songs from musical theatre, and the data to back up her claims, Kate will take you on a journey through the questions women ask when they look at an audition room, and what has led us to where we are now.

“Expertly researched, very well sung, and delivered with passion and humour, this is a clever show with an important message that probably won’t be seen by the people who most need to see it. ” - Kimberley Shaw, Stage Whispers

This project received Cash for Equity through the Fringe Fund, as part of the Ralph Mclean Microgrants program.

About Kate O'Sullivan

Found somewhere at the junction of academia and entertainment, Kate is a performer with a background in science, education and improvised theatre. With a passion for storytelling and bringing education opportunities to a range of audiences, she takes edu-tainment to the floor for both children and adults alike.

With a performance history across Australia, Kate's return to Perth has been marked by critically aclaimed performances in Émilie La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight (a theatrical take on an historical woman in STEM with Anatomical Heart Productions) and more recently in her award nominated performance as Nurse Ratched in the Australian Adaptation of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. No stranger to the mic and after an almost sold out run at Fringe World, Kate is bringing her debut solo show to Melbourne Fringe in 2023

osullivankate.com

Duration: 60 minutes
Age suitability: PG
Event warnings: Mild Coarse Language, Some Infrequent/Low Pressure Audience Interaction.
Content warnings: Misogyny.

The Motley Bauhaus - Black Box
118 Elgin St, Carlton, VIC, 3053

Wheelchair Access

The Motley Bauhaus - Black Box is wheelchair accessible.

There is step-free access to the venue. Wheelchair users enter at the main entrance. The Black Box and all downstairs spaces, including the bar, are accessible.
There are accessible toilets at this venue.

More accessibility info available via website - www.themotley.com.au/about.html

Get directions See all events at this venue See detailed venue & access information

Full: $28.00
Concession: $24.00
Group 6+: $26.00
Extra Applause: $32.00
Blak Tix: $24.00
Hump Day Discount: $21.00

Member discounts available

This event is eligible for 25% off full price Fringe Dweller tickets. Just add the tickets that you want then login at checkout and you'll get the cheapest tickets. If you're not a member yet, simply add a membership to your cart and you'll be able to access Fringe Dweller prices straight away.

"Kate O’Sullivan’s one-woman show is a beautifully performed examination of the shortage of roles for women. Expertly researched, very well sung, and delivered with passion and humour, this is a clever show with an important message that probably won’t be seen by the people who most need to see it. A myriad of statistics about the number of roles for women, both on and off the stage, and an exploration of the reasons for why we find ourselves in this predicament, the show is peppered with songs throughout, with Kate’s warm alto (occasionally venturing into contralto-profundo) a lovely contrast to the cold hard facts in this show. The real strength of the show is Kate’s excellent rapport with her audience and her passion for the subject matter. Despite some dark facts, this is an uplifting show, and one where the audience have a great time. A show that will resonate with all women in theatre, that should be compulsory viewing for all theatrical decision makers." - Stage Whispers

stagewhispers.com.au

This expose into the male-dominated performance industry and its impact on the live art that Australia produces had important things to say about the impact of gender-constraints on the representation and employment of non-male-identifying people in the creative industries. Judging by the passion and strength of this show and its messages, O’Sullivan is certainly a performer to watch. Her energy, stage presence and conviction are highly engaging, and her ability to tell meaningful stories made this show interesting and affective.

xpressmag.com.au

Kate deftly weaves a powerful message about gender representation in theatre and film into a thought-provoking cabaret that calls on some well-known show tunes to drive her point home. This show is well written, beautifully sung, gorgeously lit and seamlessly staged. It’s a Fringe show that theatre-makers, producers and funders need to see. This would make a killer TED talk, but why not sprinkle you social critique with glitter and make it musical theatre? - Alan G (FringeFeed Reacts, FringeWorld 2023)

fringeworld.com.au

Sessions: In Person Events

A single $5.50 transaction fee applies to your booking.

Date	Time	Venue
Monday, 02 October 2023	9:00pm	The Motley Bauhaus - Black Box	Past Event
Tuesday, 03 October 2023	9:00pm	The Motley Bauhaus - Black Box	Past Event
Wednesday, 04 October 2023 Hump Day	9:00pm	The Motley Bauhaus - Black Box Hump Day	Past Event
Thursday, 05 October 2023	9:00pm	The Motley Bauhaus - Black Box	Past Event
Friday, 06 October 2023	9:00pm	The Motley Bauhaus - Black Box	Past Event
Saturday, 07 October 2023	9:00pm	The Motley Bauhaus - Black Box	Past Event
Sunday, 08 October 2023	9:00pm	The Motley Bauhaus - Black Box	Past Event