Bite the Hand, an off-the-leash brutal comedic rollercoaster of emancipation, love, dependency and suppression presented by award-winning theatre-makers The Last Great Hunt, makes its world premiere at Subiaco Theatre Centre 12-23 October.
Here’s the description of the new work – Sam and Dale love their dog Alice so much; she is their primary focus, especially for Dale who uses Alice as her coping tool to get through her daily mental health challenges. So, when they are offered the chance to give Alice the consciousness of a human and the possibility of deeper interaction – they jump at the opportunity!
Under the careful assessment of model owner Wes and his obedient pet Rex, Alice’s intelligence blossoms at a rapid pace. But as Alice begins to understand her existence, her place in the world becomes all too apparent. Alice asks way too many questions and begins to push back against authority, nudging at who really is the leader of the pack. Juxtaposed against Sam and Dale’s own complex relationship and reasons for wanting Alice to transition, they begin to examine the line they have crossed in giving their beloved pet, human reasoning.
The new work is written by award-winning writer Chris Isaacs. His previous work includes York, Flood, The Great Ridolphi and Fag/Stag. The production is directed by Matt Edgerton, with a cast that includes Amy Mathews, Arielle Gray, Alicia Osyka, Jeffrey Jay Fowler and Michael Abercromby.
“Bite the Hand is a play about power. It is about how we control the people and the things around us, or the things that control us. It’s about the mechanisms we use to control (like love or social expectations), and how we break free from those constraints,” Issacs said.
“I was inspired by the idea of how power structures work and exist in society. I wanted to apply it in an owner and a pet scenario, a scenario that is instilled with love and care. This scenario allowed me to look into the dynamics of who benefits in these power structures – and by extension from power itself.”
Chris Issacs said the new play started as an observation on freedom and what true freedom is; on how freedom can never be granted to a group by the dominant power structures.
“Freedom must be taken, otherwise it is not true freedom,” he said. “In short, I want audiences to bellow with laughter but also sit in discomfort at the truth that somewhere, somehow, we’re all very capable of being both masters and mastered.”
Catch the play at the Subiaco Arts Centre from Tuesday 12 October until Saturday 23 October.
OIP Staff
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