Blue Italian & Nil by Sea

A young, privileged white woman sets out to travel the world on a journey of self-discovery. A young, poor African man is found splattered across a suburban street. When Katie Pollock wrote Blue Italian and Nil by Sea, she intended them as companion pieces, though they seemingly have little in common. “They are really two very different versions of the same story”, explains director Rachel Chant, who brings both plays to life in the unlikely ‘pop-up’ space of Leichhardt Town Hall.

“They speak to each other really strongly about the human need for safety, refuge and to belong somewhere”, says Chant. “The woman struggling to find a place to belong and the man seeking refuge – a place to belong safely.”

The latter play was inspired by the story of Jose Matada: a young Angolan man who stowed away in a plane headed for a better life in the West. He was found having fallen from the wheelbay. Access denied. With boatloads turning up to our migrant nation looking for hope, safety and a place to belong – the point is uncomfortably clear.

Given the paucity of Independent Theatre spaces in Sydney, it’s an exciting initiative by Leichhardt Council and welcomed by Rachel Chant. “It’s exciting to think that you can invigorate a space and do really great theatre in a place you wouldn’t expect.”

29 April – 17 May, Wednesday – Saturday, 8:00pm, Sunday 6pm, Leichhardt Town Hall, Cnr. Marin and Norton Street, Leichhardt, $20-30, www.trybooking.com/hfho.