Back to Back is back with Multiple Bad Things

The multi-award-winning Back to Back Theatre will this month debut its new work, MULTIPLE BAD THINGS.

The production marks the first major work by the theatre company by new directors in 17 years and follows its recent recognition at the Venice Biennale with the prestigious Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre.

The theatre company, which draws its ensemble cast from disabled and neurodivergent communities, is widely considered one of the country’s most important cultural exports.

MULTIPLE BAD THINGS is set in a placeless warehouse and explores complex workplace dynamics, tackling themes of civility, identity and power.

It follows three employees, grappling with questions of inclusion, identity and intersectionality as they struggle to work together.

Bad behaviour between the trio escalates, and reality distorts.

Directors, artistic associates Tamara Searle and Ingrid Voorend, said the show reflected the “uncertainty and change happening in the world”.

“The workplace is where many of our values and ideas about identity, ability and boundaries are challenged.

“How do we live and work together in a time of crisis and division, in the face of multiple bad things? How do we keep our sense of hope intact?”

Ensemble member Sarah Mainwaring said the show was about “manipulation” and “the taking of power”.

“I think that it will be a most powerful work.”

MULTIPLE BAD THINGS stars Mainwaring, along with Nastaha Jynel, Simon Laherty and Scott Price.

It also features a score assembled from collected field recordings of bad things by Zoë Barry, and a set design by Anna Cordingley that demands the actors’ physical participation to reach its manifestation.

The show’s debut will take place at the Geelong Arts Centre, running April 11-13, before it heads to Belgium in May.

Chief executive and creative director Joel McGuinness said Geelong Arts Centre was thrilled to present the world premiere of MULTIPLE BAD THINGS.

“This collaboration embodies the essence of what Geelong Arts Centre stands for: bold innovation, inclusivity, and the relentless pursuit of artistic excellence.”

For more information or to book tickets, head to geelongartscentre.org.au