Celebrate the grit and daring of Australian women

“This is theatre at its best.” — Australian Stage

Rovers is a night of stories celebrating adventurous women.

Woven from true stories and wild machinations, this delightful and poetic work resonates with audiences of all ages.

Rovers is a contemporary comedy-drama and a nimble two-hander that has audiences laughing, crying and celebrating the grit and daring of women trailblazers.

Intrepid performers Roxanne McDonald and Barbara Lowing get behind the wheel and navigate the audience into risky terrain, journeying through the heart-lines of their lives and into the hilarious misadventures of the women who made them who they are today.

Come on this epic adventure with two of your best-loved actors in the rough and tumble of multiple stories and characters.

“I remain gobsmacked, with lingering scenes, words and music still rattling around my brain. I want to witness it all over again!” — Australian Stage

Venue Format
Theatre, Hall, Black Box Venue
Technical Rating
C, D, The production can be modified to suit most venues
Touring Party
4
Considerations

• Rovers is a 2-hander show designed to tour • The touring party consists of four (4) people. • Set, lighting, sound & AV are designed to be flexible and scalable depending on facilities available. • Actors Barabara Lowing & Roxanne McDonald can hold (and fill) a main-stage theatre space as well as deliver a beautifully intimate performance in smaller or less traditional performance spaces.

Writer: Katherine Lyall-Watson | Director: Caroline Dunphy | Starring: Roxanne McDonald and Barbara Lowing | Vocal Artist: Kirk Page | Composer & Sound Designer: Dane Alexander | Lighting Designer: Christine Felmingham | Set Design: Jonathan Shankey & Caroline Dunphy | Costume Design: Oscar Hannah Clark | Cultural Consultant: Nadine McDonald-Dowd | Dramaturg: Kathryn Kelly | Producer: Danielle Shankey | Sound Design Intern: Isabella Hall | Technical Manager: Jeremy Gordon | Production Manager: Peter Cossar

Belloo Creative is an all-female, award-winning independent theatre company that produces original contemporary cross-cultural works. Founded in 2013, Belloo explores new ways of firing the imagination and connecting stories with the human body.

Belloo is four women with decades of experience: Caroline Dunphy (co-artistic director and director); Katherine Lyall-Watson (co-artistic director and writer); Kathryn Kelly (dramaturg); and Danielle Shankey (producer).

Belloo is committed to developing partnerships to present works nationally and internationally. We have co-produced work with NORPA, Brisbane Festival, Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse and Critical Stages and toured to Japan, Queensland, NSW and ACT.

We value cross-cultural collaboration, risk-taking and rigorous process. We seek out partnerships, growing them into powerful relationships.

Our recent work includes ROVERS, which premiered at NORPA in 2018, before touring to Maleny and the Brisbane Festival. ROVERS is a two-hander and a contemporary comedy-drama celebrating the grit and daring of Australian women.

Other works in development HOUSE IN THE DUNES is a contemporary cross-cultural installation work exploring our rapidly changing world in a gentle and poetic way for all ages. The installation version can be toured with no performers in a Covid-safe way. BOY, LOST is an exciting large scale work premiering at Queensland Theatre in 2021.

Company Website
belloocreative.com

Unique Selling Point

All-female, award-winning Belloo Creative presents Rovers.

Rovers is a laugh-out-loud drama by Katherine Lyall-Watson, co-created and directed by Caroline Dunphy.

It's a contemporary comedy-drama starring two of Queensland's best-loved actors - Barbara Lowing & Roxanne McDonald.

Lyall-Watson interviewed Lowing and McDonald to gather inspiration for this play. Both actors worked on the floor with Dunphy and Lyall-Watson to carve out the stories and action that have inspired Rovers.

Rovers celebrates Lowing & McDonald as they grab the wheel and take centre stage!

Woven from true 
stories and wild machinations, Rovers celebrates women trailblazers through the rough and tumble of multiple stories and characters.

Marketing Materials

Rovers premiered at NORPA (Lismore) in August 2018 before travelling onto QLD premiere seasons in Maleny & as part of the 2018 Brisbane Festival.

MARKETING MATERIALS • Media Release • National Publicity Material (poster / flyer template with hero image) • Production Photography • Trailer (tbc)

CONTENT WARNINGS: Suitable for 14 years +

TEACHER’S RESOURCES: Teacher’s Notes / Resources available upon request

BELLOO CREATIVE AWARDS • Best Independent Production – Motherland 2013 (Matilda Award) • Best Production – Motherland 2013 (Groundling Award) • MOTHERLAND AWARDS: 2 Matilda Awards; 7 Matilda Award Nominations; Patrick White (finalist).

Barbara Lowing: • Gold Matilda Award – Best Actress (Matilda Award 2007 & 2013)

Roxanne McDonald: • Matilda Commendation 1999 • ACPA Award for her contribution to the Arts

Community Engagement

A comprehensive Marketing Kit is available.

Rovers aligns to / complements: • International Women’s Week (March) • Mother’s Day (May) • NAIDOC Week (July) • QLD Senior’s Week (August) • International Day of Rural Women (October)

Audience Development activities: • Artist Q&A (Pre / Post show) • Acting workshops (high school students / teachers / university students / adults) • Teachers’ notes • Yarning circle • Land Rover Club Direct Mail / eDM campaign and club 'meet' event planning

Target Audiences / Community Engagement:

• Theatre / Drama Audiences: Rovers is a great night out for theatre lovers who appreciate Original Australian contemporary theatre & a comedy-drama that draws on real-life characters and/ stories.

• Food Lovers: Champagne and oysters feature in the narrative. Rovers offers the opportunity to leverage sponsorship with related companies &/ dining experiences.

• Australian feminist & indigenous history: The work is written and produced by an all-female company. Rovers was written to provide sustainable employment opportunities for our country’s seasoned & critically acclaimed senior female actors. Leverage with a post show Q&A focused on issues facing women in your local community.

• Inclusive Arts Experience: Rovers is a cross-cultural collaboration. Belloo can support venues to co-design cultural appropriate engagements for their community.

• Accessible initiatives: all-ages, all-abilities tactile set tour / AUSLAN signed performance