Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre is excited to announce THE SMALLEST STAGE, written by Kim Crotty, Produced by BREC and Co-commissioned by Perth Festival, has been nominated for five Performing Arts WA Awards.
Two nominations for the show and one each for Writer, Director and Lead Performer:
Category: Best Mainstage Production | Nomination: The Smallest Stage
Category: Outstanding Contemporary or Experimental Performance | Nomination: The Smallest Stage
Category: Outstanding New Work | Nomination: Kim Crotty
Category: Outstanding Direction of a Mainstage Production | Nomination: Matt Edgerton
Category: Outstanding Performer in a Lead Role | Nomination: Ben Mortley
Born out of the 2019 BREC Artist Retreat in Donnelly River, the entire team behind THE SMALLEST STAGE are exceedingly proud to see both the production itself and Kim, Matt and Ben recognised for their work and nominated for these awards.
THE SMALLEST STAGE tells the autobiographical and true story of Kim Crotty’s experiences in Dartmoor Prison in the UK as he endeavoured to stay connected to his two boys, then three and five years old, whilst serving his sentence for growing Cannabis.
After finding traditional means of communication with his sons heartbreakingly ineffective, Kim sought to connect through the creation of unique short stories and illustrations.
Kim’s stories are lovingly retold through a mixture of live drawing, puppetry and animation, as THE SMALLEST STAGE explores the connection between parent and child. Ultimately a story about love, it examines the brave and highly necessary act of opening the door to difficult conversations in the context of mistakes that parents can make.
THE SMALLEST STAGE had its world premiere right here in The Cube Theatre at BREC in February 2022 and was shown as part of Perth Festival in the Studio Underground of State Theatre Centre of WA the same year.
Acknowledged as experimental for its audience engagement, members of the audience who purchased an interactive ticket were able to step into Kim Crotty’s shoes and find themselves and their child centre stage.
The parent | child pairs wore headphones and received audio-guided instructions from Director Matt Edgerton for the full duration of the show whilst on stage with performers, providing a truly unique theatre experience.
Producer of THE SMALLEST STAGE and BREC Executive Director Fiona de Garis is delighted at the award nominations for this production and what it means for the future of performance makers in the region, “It is an absolute honour to have received five award nominations for THE SMALLEST STAGE, especially in the Best Mainstage Production and Outstanding New Work categories.”
“This peer and industry recognition further establishes BREC as a hub for creative practice and as facilitator of our own local stories being told on stages both at home and across the country.”
“We are both humbled and encouraged by this recognition to continue to create opportunities for performance makers from across the South West to develop sustainable professional careers right here in the region. Win or lose, we are in very prestigious company and are delighted to have another chance to celebrate Kim Crotty’s exceptional story and the show we made together!”
BREC wishes everyone nominated a heartfelt congratulations and thanks the endless number of artists and people behind the scenes and stage that made this production so successful.