North Australian Festival of Arts and Townsville Civic Theatre present a Brisbane Festival and QPAC production of Trent Dalton’s Love Stories.
Adapted by Tim McGarry
With additional writing by Trent Dalton and Fiona Franzmann
Directed by Sam Strong
BOOK NOW
Performance Dates and Times
PREVIEW: Fri 4 Oct - 7:30 PM to 9:15 PM
PREVIEW: Sat 5 Oct - 2:00 PM to 3:45 PM
OPENING NIGHT: Sat 5 Oct - 7:30 PM to 9:15 PM
Sun 6 Oct - 2:00 PM to 3:45 PM
Wed 9 Oct - 7:30 PM to 9:15 PM
Thu 10 Oct - 7:30 PM to 9:15 PM (AUSLAN)
Fri 11 Oct - 7:30 PM to 9: 15 PM
*If you require AUSLAN services please contact Tickshop (07 4727 9797) to reserve seats.
Prices
Adult - $55
Concession - $45
Ticketshop Member - $50
Show Description
Get ready to fall in love all over again.
“I believe in touch. I believe in song. I believe she remembers him. I believe the perfect girl can always meet the perfect boy. I believe we are not alone in the universe.”
A father prepares himself for the day he lets go of his daughter’s hand. A young man breaks up with his girlfriend so they can both follow their dreams. A couple play nice in public to hide the fractures at home. A woman rebuilds herself along with a flood-devastated city. A working mum contemplates taking the photographs of her late husband down from the fridge. A grandmother dreams of seeing her grandson’s face. A renowned 100-year-old scientist ponders the one great earthly puzzle he was never able to solve: 'What is love?'
Inspired by a personal moment of profound love and generosity, bestselling author – and one of Australia's finest journalists – Trent Dalton spent two months in 2021 gathering stories on his sky-blue 1960s Olivetti typewriter, on a prominent street corner in Brisbane’s CBD. Speaking to Australians from all walks of life, he asked them one simple thing: 'Can you please tell me a love story?'
What followed was Dalton’s unashamedly joyous collection of Love Stories, and the creative team behind the smash-hit page-to-stage adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe (director Sam Strong and writer Tim McGarry) reuniting to bring to life Dalton’s latest warm, wise, poignant, funny and moving story about love, in all its guises.
Love is a universal access point to the soul. Get any earthling from anywhere on earth talking about what they love, and you will get them talking deeply about their life. Because love is life. To tell a love story is to tell a story of your life. Maybe the defining story. Pain. Glory. Rage. Regret. Sorrow. Passion. Joy. Wonder. Meaning. Love. Life. All of life can be found in a single stranger’s love story. And all of life can be found in this play.
- Trent Dalton
2024 NAFA Review
Trent Dalton’s Love Stories, adapted from his 2021 book, is a heartwarming stage play that brings together a collection of real-life love stories in a way that tugs at the heartstrings. Weaving together moments of tenderness, regret, and acceptance, each story offers a glimpse into the beauty and complexity of love.
The show is an assemblage of many short vignettes, which Dalton captured on the streets of Brisbane city during COVID, each one with its own message about love: a wife sharing her grief when her partner is killed in a freak accident; a woman watches her elderly father pass away; the couple who cannot conceive a child so look elsewhere to become parents. These touching episodes bring a sense of hope, showing how love transcends all else.
The central narrative that threads the performance together is of a husband and wife, a fictionalised account of Dalton and his wife, who question the foundation of their relationship. They ponder the hypothetical—what if they had never met? This storyline invites the audience to reflect on their own relationships, evoking moments of self-reflection alongside the characters.
The play is punctuated with stirring dance performances that complement the emotional highs and lows of the stories. These sequences, accompanied by beautiful lighting and featuring some iconic Whitney Houston songs, add an extra layer of depth to the production. The camera work, particularly the mobile cameras providing close-ups of the actors, captures the full gambit of emotions—love, loss, joy, and pain—adding a cinematic feel to the live performance.
- Andrew Snee
General Show Information
MA15+ | 100 Minutes | Curated
Show Warnings
This production contains strong language, adult themes including death, loss and suicide, sound pressure effects and haze.
Acknowledgements
Trent Dalton’s Love Stories was originally commissioned and produced by Brisbane Festival and QPAC for Brisbane Festival 2024.
Accessibility
Please check our website here for details.