SPINNING PLATES CO. PRESENTS
THE CROCODILE
by tom basden. after dostoevsky.
directed by cassandra fumi.
REVIEWS
The following reviews are from our February 2023 season at fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne, which sold out in its two week run and resulted in a second two-week run in September 2023.
“★★★★½…couldn’t have received a better indie production…every element of stagecraft merges with guillotine-sharp synergy”
- Cameron Woodhead, The Age
“★★★★½…everything about Spinning Plates Co’s The Crocodile works”
- Anna Hayes, Theatre Matters
“★★★★½… [Spinning Plates] showed some foresight in snapping up the rights to the play…if you want to step through the looking glass into all the delights Melbourne theatre has to offer, you couldn’t find a better place to start”
- Vanessa Francesca, Arts Hub
“This is such a clever, thoughtful piece of theatre…It should be remounted and toured interstate”
- Richard Watts, 3RRR Smart Arts
“In this impeccable show, every element…all cohere into a brilliant piece of theatre. It is fun, it is funny, it is sharp and dazzling, and we are often dumbfounded at just how good it is – several cuts above so much else that is on offer…a polished, professional, coruscating, very entertaining evening that speaks to our times now. See it.”
- Michael Brindley, Stage Whispers
“The whole aesthetic of the piece had this clean, efficient, dirtiness and messiness to it…everything looked very curated and beautiful and effective… It was really invigorating to see something so that was so impressively itself and distinctly different from anything that I have recently seen.”
- Jake Stewart, Praise Dionysus!
GALLERY
Photographer: Jack Dixon-Gunn
TRAILER
SYNOPSIS
Ivan is a jobbing actor who hasn’t gotten the recognition he feels he deserves. When his best friend Zack finally works up the courage to tell him that he thinks he should give up, everything changes in the blink of an eye as Ivan is swallowed by a crocodile at the local zoo. Somehow still alive inside the crocodile, Ivan finds himself an instant star, with the media and public flocking down to see him—as well as his ex-girlfriend, Anya, whom Zack is trying to find the right moment to propose to.
Now that Ivan is raking in the sponsorship money and interviews, how will Zack manage to convince him that he’s a terrible performer, and stop Anya from falling back in love now that he’s looking like a pretty tasty meal ticket?
Foiled by a number of characters who come and go from the zoo, our main trio must navigate their self interest and desperate desire to be loved against an increasingly absurd backdrop.
CREATIVE TEAM
Cassandra Fumi (She/Her) Director www.cassandrafumi.com
Dann Barber (He/Him) Designer www.dannbarber.com
Alex Aldrich (She/Her) Costume Supervisor & Maker Webpage
James Cerché (He/Him) Ivan www.jamescerche.com @jamescerche
Jessica Stanley (She/Her) Anya www.jessicastanleyactor.com @jstanny
Joey Lai (He/Him) Zack www.joseph-j-lai.com @happy.go.joey
Cait Spiker (She/Her) Swing www.caitspiker.com @caitspiker
Spencer Herd (He/Him) Lighting Designer www.spencerherd.com @spencer_herd
Gabriel Bethune (He/Him) Sound Designer @gabe_bethune
Luci Watts (She/Her) Stage Manager @luci.watts
Finn McLeish (She/Her) Assistant Stage Manager @finnmcleish
Initial Costume Design Sketches by designer Dann Barber
Get in touch with Jess & James today to learn more about The Crocodile and its future plans.
Spinning Plates Co.
James Cerché & Jessica Stanley
E: spinningplatesco@gmail.com | W: www.spinningplatesco.com | T: 0400 146 136
Spinning Plates Co. acknowledges the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work, and all First Nations and Torres Strait Island people. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present. Always was, always will be.