Over the past three years, B Sharp has quickly established itself as a Sydney theatre institution. Located in the intimate Downstairs Theatre at the Belvoir Street theatre it has provided a unique platform for some of the most exciting new talent in Australian theatre to showcase their talents. This year, the B sharp season runs over seven months and eight shows from late May to early December. You might already be a bit late to get to the first production 4 ON THE FLOOR, but that still leaves seven shows and that's where The Blurb comes in, as we give you a rundown of the shows you shouldn't miss in this exciting 2002 season.

PUSSY BOY by Christine Evans (June 21 - July 7) Presented by KICKING AND SCREAMING
Somewhere between heaven and hell live Bill and Algy. Bill owns and runs a falling down block of units. Innocent young Algy tries to help his Dad superintend them but really just wants to fly, skip and play. In the basement of the units is dirty old Daphne and her dogs. Forty of them. This is a moving, funny and complex study of love, pain and poverty.

RIDE by Jane Bodie (July 12 - July 28) Presented by THE OTHER TONGUE
When a woman and a man wake up in bed together naked, neither can recall the other from the evening before. Though both retain fragmented snapshot images of the long and humid city night, neither knows why or how they got here. 'Bodie's writing is excellent. She produces a subtly nuanced and paced dialogue that is extremely well acted...a disturbing snapshot of the bleakness of sexually liberated life.' - The Age

KNIVES IN HENS by David Harrower (August 2 - August 25)
Young Scottish writer David Harrower's breathtaking first play is the story of the wild and instinctive 'young woman' in a brutal medieval marriage. In stark and bare language, Harrower has created a world that is equally in touch with both God and the Devil. This is Knives in Hens Australian premiere. 'a small, almost perfect, theatrical jewel' - Toronto Express 1997 Berlin critics award for best foreign play.

LA RONDE by Arthur Shnitzler (August 30 - September 22) Presented by HAILSTORM PRODUCTIONS
Think romance. Add some L-O-V-E. Sprinkle this with a nitty gritty, blow by blow, lick by lick journey into the erotic world of the sexual encounter and you have La Ronde. Predecessor to David Hare's The Blue Room, we present you with the original. Be voyeurs within a world of verbal foreplay. We invite you to sit back, kick up your heels, allow us to tease, flirt and delight your senses...be ready for the round dance...

GREEK TRAGEDY by Mike Leigh. (September 27 - October 20) Presented by THE THEATRON GROUP
In 1989 English Director Mike Leigh (Topsy Turvy, Naked and Secrets & Lies) came to Company B to create Greek Tragedy. Set in the Marrickville home of pregnant Kalliope and her husband Alex, this extraordinary work dealt with cultural identity, displacement and the loss of love. "Packs more into its 80 minutes than most plays manage in twice the time" - The Daily Telegraph, London

THE ARCHITECT AND THE EMPEROR OF ASSYRIA by Fernando Arrabal (October 25 - November 10) Presented by STUCK PIGS SQUEALING
A plane crashes on a remote island. The sole survivor discovers a lone inhabitant and sets about filling his head with visions of the 'civilised' world. This show which has been described as 'a bizarre and disturbing cocktail of Robinson Crusoe, Rocky Horror and Kafka, with just a twist of Jerry Springer' received awards for Director's Choice and Best Production of an Existing Text at the 2001 Melbourne Fringe Festival.

SINK OR SWIM by Lawrence Mooney (November 15 - December 1)
Disgruntled with the suburban life Des Renford yearned for something greater. Then one night he made a drunken bet to swim forty kilometres. That night changed his life forever. He swam his way out of mediocrity and into history. Sink or Swim tells of Renford's awakening, paralleling it with our own search for meaning. 'Mooney is lovely to watch, open and focused, weaving his stories and illuminating what it means to be an Australian man along the way. Sink or Swim is a thoughtful, funny and clever exploration of identity from a personal and national perspective.' - The Age April 2001

For more information, check out www.belvoir.com.au

Paul Osuch

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