Fairly Lucid Productions

(Australia/UK)

MEMBER

(2019, U.S. Premiere)


Date(s) & Time(s): Thu May 8 - Fri May 9, 7:00pm, Sat May 10, 6:30pm, Sun May 11, 2:30pm
Duration: 70 minutes (No Intermission)
Venue: The Marsh Studio
Venue: 1062 Valencia St, SF, CA 94110

Ticket Information

Early Bird: $20, Advance: $25, Door: $28
For the best deals, see multiple shows with a discount Festival Pass.
TICKETS FESTIVAL PASS

Funding Credits
These performances funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Artist Information

Playwright & Performer: Ben Noble
Director: David Wood
Live Cello: Simone Seales
Additional Words: Ro Bright, Meg Courtney, Björn Deigner, Dan Giovannoni, Elise Esther Hearst, Finegan Kruckemeyer

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Production Details

MEMBER
A gripping tale of brutality and brokenness, exploring the devastating impact of Sydney's gay hate crimes (1970s–1990s). Written and performed by Ben Noble, the play follows Corey, a father grappling with his own homophobia as he is drawn into a gang targeting gay men. Accompanied by Simone Seales on cello, this raw and powerful production delves into the complexities of hatred and humanity, exposing the darkest corners of societal prejudice. MEMBER has earned various accolades, including the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation Playwriting Award and Off Fest Award UK Nomination. The show has toured internationally, captivating audiences with its brutally honest portrayal of homophobia and redemption.

Fairly Lucid Productions
Run by Ben Noble & Sarah Ranken, Fairly Lucid Productions is an independent theatre company from Naarm (Melbourne, Australia) that invites audiences to observe, think and discuss. The company's mission is to push boundaries through performance; presenting work that is courageous, compassionate and that embraces humility. Fairly Lucid Productions places a strong focus on new work. The company celebrated its 20th year of making work in 2024. Other notable productions have included: The Dilly Dally of Death and Dying, Bed & Breakfast, Raton Laveur, Something From Nothing and interrogation. The company's cinematic production arm will start filming a new creation in 2025.

Artist Biographies

Ben Noble
Ben Noble is a queer disabled Australian actor, writer, and creative producer. He is the founder of Fairly Lucid Productions. Acting credits include: Playlist 21 (Red Stitch Actors Theatre) The Campaign (Gavin Roach Productions), Doctor Faustus, Little Light (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), As You like It (Shakespeare’s Globe), Wind in the Willows (Australian Shakespeare Company), The Subtle Art of Falling (Tunks Productions) Scrooge (Stage West Canada), Phaedra’s Love (Abstract Chaos), One Last (SummerWorks). As a writer, Ben received the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation Playwright Award for MEMBER and St Martins Best Play Award (Short Trip - Winner, Pick A Card). Ben received his Masters from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and studied at RADA (UK) and Atlantic Theater Company Acting School (USA).

David Wood
David is a director, facilitator and theatre-maker, and a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He has a particular focus on ensemble-driven work which is queer in both form and content and, as an Ayrshire-born, Glasgow-based artist, he is keen to make work that explores place: both geographically and societally. His recent projects include development of I V Effigy, a solo show exploring legacy, family and queerness, (Overlap Theatre Company); A Ladder to the Stars (Visible Fictions); and Untitled 2009 (Queen Jesus Productions). Directing credits include Once a Catholic (West College Scotland).

Simone Seales
Originally from Florida, Simone Seales is a Glasgow-based cellist who completed their postgraduate studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2021. They focus on free improvisation (both tonal and atonal) and devising music for theatre. Simone's creative influences come from Black feminist leaders such as Audre Lorde, Assata Shakur and bell hooks. Within Simone's creative work, they centre Blackness, sexuality, intersectional feminism and anti-racism. They believe Western Classical musicians are capable of making meaningful social change. Simone is a recipient of the Sphinx MPower Artist Grant, former Young Artist in Residence for Chamber Music Scotland, and they are the co-artistic director of ‘demo theatre collective’. Recently, Simone has received grants from Chamber Music Scotland and National Theatre Scotland in partnership with NEUROSTAGES.

Ro Bright
Ro is a kiwi writer based in Australia. After graduating with a Masters from Tisch (New York University), Ro returned to NZ to establish Bullet Heart Club with Kitan Petkovski. Their debut work, Daffodils has toured New Zealand and Australia, as well as seasons at the Salisbury International Arts Festival (UK) and Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the Traverse Theatre. Daffodils has received a Scotsman Fringe First and an Auckland Theatre Award and is now a Feature Film.

Meg Courtney
Meg has a BA (Professional Writing/Media) and an Advanced Diploma Professional Screenwriting. She is currently a Script Assessor for Short+Sweet International Festival of short plays. She has interned as Script Editor on Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, written a Neighbours episode and her play Pendulum was performed as a part of Explorations at La Mama (dir. Petra Kalive), and read in Adelaide by five.point.one. Her short plays include Blue (Short + Sweet Top 20 2008), Gopastami (Emerging Writers Festival 2008), Fine Lines (Concrete Cloud 2006), A Black Cat Kind of Day (Audience Choice Award Short + Sweet Top 30 2005) and Turn (WWIT 2001, RMIT Snatches 2002, Dancing with Strangers 2005).

Björn Deigner
Björn is a german writer, director and composer for theatre. Deigner studied at the Institute for Applied Theatre Studies (Gießen) and Interplay Europe in Athens (2004) and World interplay in Townsville/Australia (2005). His radio plays were played by different german radio stations. His last play sich abarbeiten was honored by Akademie der Darstellenden Künste and was also selected for ARD Hörspieltage. Deigners compositions for theatre have featured in many theaters throughout Germany (SchauspielFrankfurt and Deutsches Theater Berin). Deigner is also part of an off-theatre group, called huRRa!!, that holds a residency at the city theater in Leipzig.

Dan Giovannoni
Dan Giovannoni writes plays for families, young people, and adults. Recent credits include Loaded (Malthouse Theatre) Air Race (Arena Theatre Company), Merciless Gods (Little Ones Theatre), Bambert’s Book of Lost Stories (Barking Gecko Theatre Company), Turbine (Malthouse Theatre), Jurassica (Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre), and with Amelia Chandos Evans, Cut Snake and Mad as a Cute Snake. Dan was an inaugural writer in residence at Melbourne Theatre Company as a part of the NEXT STAGE program, and is currently under commission from Barking Gecko, Malthouse Theatre, and Melbourne Theatre Company

Elise Esther Hearst
Elise Esther Hearst is a Melbourne-based playwright and author, working and living on Boon Wurrung country. She studied Creative Arts at Melbourne University and playwriting at the Royal Court Theatre in London. Her work has appeared at Melbourne Theatre Company, Red Stitch Actor’s Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, Griffin Theatre and Melbourne Jewish Book Week. In 2023, Elise’s first novel, One Day We’re All Going to Die was published by Harper Collins Australia.

Finegan Kruckeymeyer
Finegan has had 104 plays performed on six continents, translated into eight languages and studied at many international universities.
His work has received 42 awards, including eight Australian Writers Guild Awards, the David Williamson Prize for Excellence in Australian Playwrighting, and an inaugural Sidney Myer Fellowship. He has spoken at conferences in ten countries, with papers and plays published. His first novel was published in 2024.



 

 


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