Taking their talents away from the campus theatre, Flinders Drama Centre will this year feature in the Adelaide Fringe for the first time ever, presenting two works at the Holden Street Theatres.

Both performed by Honours students, the world premiere of Glace Chase’s Gull – or – The Most Lamentable Comedie Called Love will run from March 1 to 9, while March 4 to 9 will see the SA premiere of Rita Kalnejais’ twist on Shakespeare, First Love is the Revolution.

The productions are the centrepiece of a new initiative of Flinders Drama Centre, which sees Bachelor of Performance (Honours) students creating new and experimental works, and presenting an annual season in a public venue of the Adelaide Fringe.

“Flinders Drama Centre is the only drama school in the country that trains actors not just to interpret stage and screen scripts, but to create such works themselves,” says Flinders University’s Drama Centre Manager Dr Christopher Hurrell, who is also directing Gull.

“Participating in the development and performance of new works by established artists is a crucial element in this training and central to our unique Honours program.”

Gull – or – The Most Lamentable Comedie Called Love | March 1-9 | Holden Street Theatres

With Chase’s trademark brilliant wit and outrageous daring, Gull updates Shakespeare’s cross-gendered comedies with a provocative twist for today’s feminist and queer sensibilities.

Originally commissioned by Bell Shakespeare Company, the play sat unproduced for ten years after being seen as too outrageous to stage.

Taking place at the outbreak of the plague in 1665, the story follows a “banned from the stage” breeches girl and boy-player who gate crash the mansion of a leading conservative and his vapid wife in a desperate bid to escape the city. But a libertine and pantomime dame have the same idea, and they’ll all have to battle it out in this epic night from hell.

https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/gull-or-the-most-lamentable-comedie-called-love-af2025

First Love is the Revolution | March 4-9 | Holden Street Theatres

Directed by Hannah Smith, Flinders’ inaugural Honours student of the new Bachelor of Performance in Directing – Australia’s only specialist undergraduate degree for theatre directors – First Love is the Revolution is a darkly comedic tale reimagining Romeo and Juliet in a surreal world where love defies nature’s laws.

Originally premiering at London’s Soho Theatre, and later performed at Sydney’s famed Griffin Theatre Company, it follows Rdeca and Basti, two star-crossed teenage lovers whose connection defies not only their feuding parents but also their species.

Exploring themes of self-discovery, young love, and explosive sexual awakening, the production delivers a theatrical experience that is as poignant as it is provocative.

“From Gale Edwards (1975) to Benedict Andrews (1995) and through to now, Flinders Drama Centre has developed world-leading directors for stage and screen,” says Dr Hurrell.

“Now that expertise has been distilled into a dedicated degree course for directors, the only one of its kind in Australia.

“I’m thrilled Hannah and the entire cast has the opportunity to take their learnings and showcase them within one of Australia’s premier arts festivals.”

https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/first-love-is-the-revolution-af2025

You can find a list of all shows featuring Flinders University staff, students and alumni here.