Soapbox Theatre Pro-ductions are the first Gold Coast theatre company to secure a state-wide tour with Arts Link Queensland.
Sophie Is… is a genuine success story for local Gold Coast playwrights, actors and performers. This dynamic three-woman show is fully accredited by Education Queensland, supported by Queensland Health, and has a tour secured with the State’s leading in-schools touring body and will be staged at The Arts Centre Gold Coast’s The Space for a three-night season for the general public.
Soapbox Theatre Pro-ductions are proud to bring its home-grown story of Sophie, a young girl battling with the early stages of an eating disorder, to young Queensland audiences. Not your average chick-flick, Sophie Is… takes its audience on a quirky, fast-paced, multiple character romp through the treacherous and bizarre world of a teenage girl. This is not a guide on ‘how to have an eating disorder’ this is a glimpse into the story of a person that could just as well be your daughter, your sister, yourself.
Soapbox welcomes newcomers Chloe Ingall of Palm Beach and Rebecca Sutherland of Surfers Paradise with Soapbox veteran Sarah McLeod. As part of their ‘in-studio’ season, Sophie Is… was staged in 2010 with Sarah McLeod playing the lead role of Sophie. For The Arts Centre, Sarah steps into the roles of Sophie’s mum, the bubbly 16-year-old Gemma, that malicious Mean Girl and the high school heartthrob Robbo.
For Soapbox, Sarah has undergone roles such as Katherina in their sold-out season of The Taming of the Shrew, Ruth in Louis Nowra’s Cosi and a bumbling mechanical in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sarah is also general manager for Soapbox and co-wrote Sophie Is… .
When asked about the Sophie Is… process, Sarah says, “This story is a part of us – our own struggles as young women, our friends, our bullies, our mothers exist in this piece and in truth, the progress of this play has followed the growth of Soapbox as a whole. I am incredibly proud of this show and so happy that this story is being recognised and appreciated”.
Local theatre company Soapbox Theatre Pro-ductions have long proclaimed that the Gold Coast kids can bring it with the best of them and they are showing it.
“We were particularly keen on casting local actors,” co-director Jane De Goldi said.
Co-director Kim Stewart agrees. “There’s such a wealth of talent here on the Gold Coast and I think we’ve proven that with this team.”
Before the girls pack the van and head out west, audiences can catch Sophie Is… at The Arts Centre Gold Coast on July 12, 13 and 14 at The Space.
Teachers and school groups are more than welcome to attend the season and are also invited to visit the Arts Link website for details on Term 4 performance dates.
Who: Soapbox Theatre
What: Sophie is…
When: July 12-14, 7.30pm
Where: Venue: The Space, The Arts Centre Gold Coast
Interested?: Tickets: Adults $25 Groups +6 $20 Students $18 Groups +6 $15
