By Allan Sko

Canberra Theatre Centre presents Valence, a series of works that ignite the senses and challenge the perceptions of Canberran theatregoers (that’s YOU!).

Curated to captivate intellect and stir the soul, Valence brings together visionary artists who do all those good things that great art can do: exploring the now, pushing the boundaries of convention and inviting reflection and action.

And all while being thoroughly entertaining!

The programme features:

Daniel Clarke, former Head of Programming at Canberra Theatre and key in Valence’s creation said of the occasion:

“We are so excited to bring these five shows to the capital, with the very best of theatre, dance, performance and frankly, works that refuse to be defined,” spake he.

“Our role here at Canberra Theatre Centre is to capture the zeitgeist of the country’s artistic landscape and ensure that our audiences are experiencing the very best of what is being presented in other major cities, all while staying connected to vital, visionary and mind blowing artists.”

Clarke goes on to explain a key driver to Valence’s existence.

“Currently, there’s no major performance here,” he says. “With Valence, we have hand picked shows presented at major arts festivals both nationally and globally, alongside work that audiences and critics have not been able to stop talking about since they premiered,” he continued.

Celebrating the powerful chemistry between performers and audience alike, Valence invites viewers to confront uncomfortable truths and embrace the possibilities of transformation through collaboration and connection.

“We are especially proud of the Canberran artists – David Finnigan, Marni Mount, Charley Allanah and Eliza Sanders – who live or have lived in Canberra and forged successful and inspiring careers in the arts. It is a joy to be presenting their works to audiences in their hometown,” added Clarke.

With the creation and implementation of Valence serving as a fitting final legacy of Daniel Clarke’s role, the lofty mantle now lies at the feet of the Acting Head of Programming, Delia O’Hara. After a thrilling and informative chat with her, I can happily assert that it is a duty she seems more ready to seize.

Quick to pepper her prose with praise for Daniel Clarke throughout, O’Hara expands on Valence’s genesis with the benefit of fresh eyes:

“It’s driven by the notion of being a capital city on par with Sydney and Melbourne in terms of artistic importance,” she says. “To bring together a selection of some of the very best that you would otherwise have to go to another city to see.”

And of those fine Canberra talent involved?

“That was deliberate,” O’Hara heralds. “The choice was made to select works with a strong Canberra connection and demonstrate that the work’s calibre is equally good.

“In the long term, the theatre wants to play its part in providing more opportunities for local artists to present their work on the national stage.”

Further to flying the flag for Canberra talent, there were other criteria for selection.

“The name, Valence, is a bit of a clue,” O’Hara teases. “In chemistry, the term describes the number of connections an individual component can make to others.

“And so, in this context, within each of these works are multiple connections that each audience member might make to their own life; something they’ve thought about, a challenge they’ve had, or something that made them feel joyous.

“It may even open them up to something they previously had no connection to.

“There’s also a big focus on differences and subverting assumptions,” O’Hara says before adding somewhat self-deprecatingly: “Sounds like the notes in an art gallery!”

Seizing this piece of personality poking through the professional presentation, I asked O’Hara what she, personally, was most looking forward to.

“I’m looking forward to the variety!” she enthuses. “They’re all so different from each other.

“I’m really looking forward to Jurrungu Ngan-ga, or Straight Talk, as goes the translation of that local Indigenous work from the community involved in doing the work. It’s a reflection on the First Nations people of the country, and its intention is to just speak the truth, to talk straight. There is still a lot of truth-telling that we need to do in this country, so I’m thrilled that we can bring that work here.

“At the other end, I’m really looking forward to 44 Sex Acts because it just sounds absolutely hysterical,” O’Hara continues. “I love a good comedy. And… Whew! All of them, really! “O! Trophy Boys! Now, that’s all about subverting your expectations,” O’Hara enthuses, alluding to what was said before. “I think that will reveal a lot, with relevant subject matter that will resonate with everyone.

“And I think I’m one of the few people who have not seen Betty Grumble before!”

In true PR style, dear O’Hara has gone on to list every play. And who can blame her, with such varied wonderfulness on offer? Well, I say ALL, but she missed one.

Oh, no, wait a minute. I lied.

“I saw a work-in-development recently directed by Charlie Allanah of Manage Your Expectations, which was amazingly moving,” O’Hara reveals. “What I saw was the work in its very early stages. So I’m really looking forward to this one, too, especially as it was created and developed locally.”

With bold ticks in many boxes, O’Hara quickly adds another critical checkmark.

“It’s entertaining as well!” she effuses. “Even with the series topics. Artists are making this accessible in how they’re presented, so you don’t have to go away feeling miserable because you’ve had an entertaining, good night.”

O’Hara is equally quick to expand on this point.

“I should clarify, Jurrungu Ngan-ga isn’t a comedy,” she says. “By entertaining, in that case, there’s the dance and the music involved that will be enrapturing.”

This is all well and good, of course, but there’s a Cost-of-Living crisis going on at the moment, and, worthy though the cost may be, theatre can be prohibitively expensive for many of us.

“We’ve deliberately tried to make the works affordable by not pricing them at the top rates that touring shows might ask for,” O’Hara says. “So, we hope that people can afford to go.”

But how is this so, my curiosity probes? Big theatre attracts costs which need recovering!

“We invest in work,” O’Hara explains. “Further to being a hire venue, it’s part of our role to support the whole ecology in many different ways. We have a full-time producer who works on educational focused works for young people and a full-time producer who works on new works and development.”

A new life enters O’Hara’s voice, a passion clearly piqued.

“It’s an essential to our role to engage with the theatremakers and performers in the community, look to the next generation, and expose as many people as possible by providing them access to live performance. We can’t be guaranteed to break even, but there are other criteria for success.

“I’m not saying that we don’t care about the money!” she adds. “But if we found that we made a small loss but it was available to more people, and those people gained something meaningful from the experience, that’s a success.”

Curiosity sated, excitement generated; to close this happy chat, I asked Delia O’Hara if there was anything else she’d like to add before we parted ways.

“I’m just thrilled to have the opportunity to talk to you because I really am excited about the works,” she says. “It’s not easy to put this together or start something new—and all credit is owed to Dan and the rest of the team.

“We’ve got some very talented people here who care passionately about live theatre performance.”

Valence occurs from July to September 2024. Tickets via Canberra Theatre. Concession prices are available, plus save up to $125 with 3-show & 5-show options.