FIGHTING

New Theatre is thrilled to be presenting the world premiere of FIGHTING, a brilliant play by Sydney writer Xavier Coy, which won the Silver Gull Play Award in 2022. 

An exploration into the mind of one man as he traverses the highs and lows of Bipolar over the course of a day, battling with both the people in his life and the voices in his head.

He works in a shop run by an elderly couple. They enjoy a virile sex life, while he is desperately lonely.

He is confronted by his ex-girlfriend who is now engaged. A panic attack ensues.

He has a date that night with a woman he quite fancies. The evening is a disaster.

Feelings of worthlessness and despair whirl around his head, triggering a depressive episode.

Then the phone rings.

He lives to fight another day.

Directed by the playwright, it features a cast of three terrific actors returning to the New Theatre stage: Jay James-Moody (The Venetian Twins), Sophie Highmore (Ink)and David Woodland (When the Rain Stops Falling, Wolf Lullaby).

Xavier explains what prompted this deeply personal play: “I wrote this play in the weeks after being diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. I’d spent a long time struggling with my mental health and after finally receiving my diagnosis and facing life with an answer, I did a lot of introspection and looked into how Bipolar was depicted and understood. It was pretty upsetting to see how my disease was being represented. That’s what led to me writing ‘Fighting’.

“This play is raw and by far the most personal I’ve ever written. I had to write it that way in order to achieve what I wanted: the help the audience to understand that we’re not crazy. The difficulties are deeply rooted in psychology and thought patterns which attach themselves to physical symptoms and states. But I didn’t want to write trauma porn. This play needed comedy throughout because if you don’t laugh then you cry. Ultimately, I want an audience to do both those things and in the process be able to empathize a little because things that most people experience, sadness, anxiety, fear, are in Bipolar, just to a much more intense level.”

CREATIVE TEAM
Cast  Sophie Highmore, Jay James-Moody, David Woodland
Director Xavier Coy
Set & Costume Designers Hansen
Lighting Designer Robin Legal
Sound Designer Mehran Mortezaei
Photos © Chris Lundie

SEASON
18 March – 12 April 2025

PERFORMANCES
Thu – Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm
Sat 12 April 2pm only

TICKETS
Full $37
Concessions, Groups (6+) $32
Thrifty Thursdays $25
Preview $20
(+ bf)

BOOKINGS
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