PLAYLAB'S VIC SYLLABUS SUGGESTIONS 2022
Unit 3: Devised Ensemble Performance
The following list of plays has been curated by Playlab Theatre staff in order to provide an extended list of plays suitable for study in Unit 3: Devised Ensemble Performance. The following plays have been selected as they were either created and/or developed through unique collaborations, and group devised processes, or because they are heavily related on ensemble performance. We believe that the texts suggested in this list will provide a greater insight into the area of devised and ensemble performance and will offer great opportunities for both practical performance outcomes and study.
Undertow
by Hayden Jones and Sam Foster
THEMES: Resilience, Mental Health , Relationships and Identity
LENGTH: 50 minutes
CAST SIZE: 17 Characters
CHARACTER AGES: 16-30+
SUITABLE FOR: Middle & Senior Years
Rising
by Hannah Belanszky, Madeleine Border, Emily Burton, Lauren Sherritt and Sarah Wilson
THEMES: Climate Change, Extinction, Politics and Governance
LENGTH: 90 Minutes
CHARACTER AGES: 20s–40s
CAST SIZE: 3
SUITABLE FOR: Senior Years
Rising by Hannah Belanszky, Read more
The Final Days of Bedlam
by David Burton
The Fledglings
by Maxine Mellor
THEMES: Dreams and Desires, Disappointment, Generational Battles
LENGTH: 1 Hour
CAST SIZE: Large cast without doubling
CHARACTER AGES: ≤50
SUITABLE FOR: Middle & Senior Years
Good Grief
by Merlynn Tong
THEMES: Grief, Loss, Longing
LENGTH: 1 Hour
CAST SIZE: Large cast without doubling
CHARACTER AGES: ≤50
SUITABLE FOR: Middle & Senior Years
The Tempest
by William Shakespeare Adapted by Lynne Bradley
THEMES: Magic, Freedom, Outcasts
CHARACTER AGES: 18+
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: Large Cast Without Doubling
TARGET AUDIENCE: Middle Years
TARGET AUDIENCE: Senior Years
TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult
The Pride
by Side Pony Productions
THEMES: Inter-generational Tension, Human Behaviour
LENGTH: 60 Minutes
CHARACTER AGES: Various
SUITABLE FOR: Adult
CAST SIZE: 3
The Pride by Side Pony Productions takes a long hard look at lions.
SYNOPSIS
Bruce ... Read moreDefine ‘Adult’
by David Burton, Claire Christian and La Boite’s Young Actors Company
Talking To Brick Walls
by Claire Christian & The Empire Arts Impact Ensemble
THEMES: Young People, Coming of Age, Parenting
CHARACTER AGES: Middle – Senior Years
LENGTH: 1 Hour
SUITABLE FOR: Senior Years
CAST SIZE: Large Cast Without Doubling
The Village
by Multiple Playwrights
THEMES: Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Immigration
LENGTH: 90 Minutes
CHARACTER AGES: 18+
CAST SIZE: 7
SUITABLE FOR: Senior Years & Adults
The Village is a collaboration between La Boite Theatre Company and MDA, and features stories from <... Read more
Melek Mo Hani
by Steve Mayer-Miller
THEMES: Cultural Identity, South Sea Islander Themes, Immigration, Deportation
CHARACTER AGES: Adult
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: 1 – 2 Cast Members
TARGET AUDIENCE: Middle Years
TARGET AUDIENCE: Senior Years
TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult
Behind the Cane
by Michael and Margery Forde
THEMES: Blackbirding, White Australia Policy, Australian South-Sea Islander History and Culture
CHARACTER AGES: 10+
LENGTH: 120 Minutes
CAST SIZE: 9+ Cast Members
SUITABLE FOR: Senior Years

The Belonging Trilogy
by Margi Brown Ash
THEMES: Belonging, Home, Not-Belonging,
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: 1–2
CHARACTER AGES: ≤50
SUITABLE FOR: Adults
The Long Way Home
by Daniel Keene
THEMES: Military Service, Mental Health, Trauma, Relationships
CHARACTER AGES: 18+
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: 9+ Cast Members
SUITABLE FOR: Adult
Please Be Seated
by David Megarrity
THEMES: Love, Loss, Life
CHARACTER AGES: Non-Specific
Length: 1 Hour
TARGET AUDIENCE: Senior Years
CAST SIZE: Large Cast Without Doubling
Driving Into Walls
by Suzie Miller
THEMES: Youth, Drugs, Sex, Self-representation
CHARACTER AGES: 18-21
LENGTH: 1 Hour
CAST SIZE: 5 – 6 Cast Members
SUITABLE FOR: Senior Years
OneFiveZeroSeven
by Suzie Miller
THEMES: Youth, Drugs, Sex, Self-Representation
CHARACTER AGES: 18-21
LENGTH: 1 Hour
CAST SIZE: 5 – 6 Cast Members
TARGET AUDIENCE: Senior Years
Snow White
by Lindy Hume, Zulya Kamalova, Suzie Miller Libretto by Suzie Miller
THEMES: Womanhood, Power, Beauty
CHARACTER AGES: 18+
CAST SIZE: 3 – 4 Cast Members
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult