Haircuts
After a hugely successful outing at Sydney’s Short and Sweet festival, playwright Con Nats knew he had a hit on his hands. “The short play did well and played at the Edinburgh Festival,” he explains, “and I had so many people telling me to turn it into a full-length play that I pretty much had to!”
Haircuts tells the story of a Greek barber and his customers and business, under the looming threat of a new shopping centre development. For Nats, the contrast of community and commercialization hits close to home. “I grew up close to Parramatta Road and my parents had a shop. I saw the Broadway Shopping Centre just suck the life out of the area.”
Nats spent one year doing research, chatting to many current and former barbers about their lives and work, and a further two years writing the play. “Sometimes it was tricky trying to get them to sit down and talk but they’ve all got stories to tell.”
Those who saw the original production can expect more of what made the original so popular, according to Nats. “I hope they get the same joy. I hope they are even more moved by the drama. It’s a deeper experience.”
15 – 26 April, The Greek Theatre, Addison Road Community Centre, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville, Tickets $25-$30, www.trybooking.com/GSOA, www.conats.wix.com/haircuts.
