Dramageddon

Melbourne Writers' Festival

Dramageddon is a genre-bending choose- your-own-adventure podcast created by playwright Jean Tong and comedian Lou Wall. Each episode pits two queer people against the climate apocalypse in 2050. This MWF-themed special tests Candy Bowers and Nevo Zisin on their survival skills, forcing them to address ethical questions such as: write or run? Publish or punish? Paperback or zombie snack? It’s the end of the world; bring on the Dramageddon! Produced by Xen Nhà with Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, published by Broadwave Candy Bowers is a radical mischief-maker, comedian, writer and actor born of South African political refugees. A musical comedy star and hip hop theatre-maker, she was the recipient of the MentorLA initiative in 2019 and has added screenwriting to the mix, signing to Hollywood Agency WRITLarge. Nevo Zisin is a queer, non-binary, Jewish writer, performer, activist and public speaker based in Naarm. They are the author of award-winning Finding Nevo [https://www.readings.com.au/products/23657257/finding-nevo], a memoir on gender transition and a member of the Gender Euphoria cast – Australia's largest all-trans and gender diverse show on a main stage.

Day 735

It’s all aboard for performers Carly Sheppard and Tahlee Fereday as they jump on a cruise ship to escape the zombie plague that’s taking over land and sea. Join them for rats, cruise ship orgies, and zombie physiology getting in the way of their final plan. Based in Melbourne, Carly Sheppard is an Indigenous dancer and choreographer descending from the Wallangamma and Takalaka Tribes of North QLD. After studying at NAISDA Dance College and the Victorian College of the Arts, Carly has been training and working professionally in the dance industry for over eight years. Tahlee Fereday is a 2017 graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA). Before her studies she was based in Darwin, where she hosted The Breakfast Show with Tahlee on Larrakia Radio 94.5FM. Tahlee’s theatre credits include Astroman (Melbourne Theatre Company), Fallen (She Said Theatre), Love (Dee&Cornelius). As a First Nations and queer artist, Tahlee is an advocate for representation of minority voices on the mainstage. Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/tferdz/]

Day 800

It's a real funny or die world for comedians Geraldine Hickey and Anna Piper Scott in their plight to see if stand up comedy has it's place in Dramageddon. The pair talk Adelaide Fringe (pre- and post- apocalypse), how to handle a heckler and deliver a rousing rendition of "To Be With You" by Mr Big. But will they deliver a killer set - or be killed by their set? Geraldine Hickey is an Australian comedian best known as co-host of the Breakfasters program on Melbourne’s beloved community radio station 3RRR. Geraldine's latest show "Things Are Going Well" was nominated for the Melbourne Comedy Festival Award for most outstanding show in 2019. Twitter [https://twitter.com/geraldinehickey] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/GeraldineHickeyComedian/] Anna Piper Scott is a Perth-born, Melbourne-based stand-up comedian. A trans woman of remarkable wit and social insight, Anna is a skilled writer and bold performer whose comedy is incisive, relatable, well-crafted and flat out funny. Website [https://www.annapiperscott.com/]

Day 45

Trapped in an enforced quarantine, married couple Mia MacDonald and Steph Hughes discuss being “crafty with finding sperm”, tiny cock viruses, how to keep milk cold in a world with no fridges, and divorce! Mia Mala McDonald is a photographer based in Melbourne, Australia. Mia is deeply interested in people and this is the real essence of her work. Her process allows her to see things in a new way, small things in the way people behave and she strives to disclose these intimate personal narratives. Mia lives in Melbourne with her partner Steph Hughes and their daughter. Website [http://www.miamalamcdonald.com/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/miamalamcdonald/] Steph Hughes is a Melbourne based illustrator who is most well-known for hand drawn, line-y and simple (though sometimes busy) drawings. Her work is all about people, words, stories, cities and buildings, diagrams, music, overheard nonsense, football, sight gags, maps of all kinds, third-hand gossip and wallaby snot. Website [https://stephhughes.com.au/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/_steph_hughes_/]

Day 635

Secret martial artists (and theatre artists) Sapidah Kian and Natesha Somasundaram get into the nitty gritty of totalitarian leadership, cannibalism as punishment, and tickle torture - as the new leaders of the post-Apocalyptic Mt-Dandenong -Hotel-slash-lesbian-commune. Sapidah Kian is a director, actor, theatre maker and dramaturg, working across theatre, film, television, and radio. Since 2014, she has been a lecturer in acting and directing at the Victorian College of the Arts. She was Director in Residence at Malthouse Theatre for 2017/18 and is currently co-chair of the Green Room Independent Theatre Panel. Natesha Somasundaram is a writer for theatre and television. She graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Performing Arts in 2017 and was resident playwright at Melbourne Theatre Company 2017-2019. She has written for Netflix, ABC, SBS and more; Natesha’s debut play Jeremy and Lucas buy a Fucking House was nominated for a Greenroom Award for Best Writing.