Spencer is full of love and family and all the crap that happens with those two things. It’s funny because it’s true. It’s touching because we’ve all be there. It’ll stick in your mind because more than anything, you can see yourself and your loved ones reflected back at you from that messy home that’s full of the familiar.

Dani Rothwell, Theatre People, 2017

A brand new comedy-drama looking at a gloriously dysfunctional Australian family, this is modern storytelling at its best!

Spencer tells the story of a tight-knit family led by single-mum and matriarch Marilyn and her three adult children – wayward daughter Jules, mouthy coulda-been Ben and AFL player and golden-boy Scott.

About to meet the young son – Spencer – he never knew he had, Scott and the family have returned home to help mark the occasion. With the surprise appearance of the father they barely remember, the entire family is forced to work together to clean up both the house and their own fractured relationships as the clock ticks down to Spencer’s arrival.

Written by award-winning playwright Katy Warner (2016 Green Room Nomination for A Prudent Man), Spencer asks us to consider how much our family defines who we are, and whether we ever really grow up…

Awards

2017 Victorian Green Room Award Nominations (Independent Theatre) – Best New Writing and Best Performer (Lyall Brooks)| 2015 Playwriting Australia New Play Development (Shortlisted) | 2014 Max Afford Playwright Award (Shortlist – Final 10)

Performance History

Spencer was first performed at Chapel off Chapel (Melbourne) with the following cast and creatives:

Written by Katy Warner | Directed by Sharon Davis | Starring Lyall Brooks, Jamieson Caldwell, Jane Clifton, Fiona Harris and Roger Oakley | Set and Lighting Design by Rob Sowinski and Bryn Cullen | Stage and Production Management by Adam Fawcett | Produced by Lab Kelpie Productions

Find out more about the show here.

Reviews