Written by Jordan Shea and Kenneth Moraleda
Concept by Kenneth Moraleda
Director – Kenneth Moraleda
Assistant Director/Cover – Thomas Loveluck
Movement Director – Laurne Nalty
Set Designer – Soham Apte
Costume Designer – Jessi Seymour
Lighting Designer – Saint Claire
Composers – Zac Saric and Alec Steedman
Sound Designer – Zac Saric
Fight Coordinator – Tim Dashwood
Cast
Bhing – John Gomez Goodway
Scott – Shaw Cameron
Musician – Alec Steedman
Two worlds collide in this highly inventive exploration of male friendship and our need for connection and compassion.
From writer Jordan Shea and STC Resident Director Kenneth Moraleda comes a beautiful new drama, featuring a live musical soundscape created and played by Alec Steedman.
Four years after migrating to Perth from the Philippines, aspiring primary school teacher Bhing works as a massage therapist. He’s working toward regaining his teaching credentials and supporting his extended family, all while working between clients.
Scott, a coal miner, arrives for his appointment, filled with tension and unreasonable demands. Caught up in the relentless cycle of the FIFO (fly-in-fly-out) system, he faces a work culture that drills at his psyche.
Over a series of massage appointments, the two men bring their contrasting values and expectations of masculine friendship and intimacy to the forefront.
Using an inventive physical, theatrical, and musical language, One Hour No Oil, interrogates the dilemmas facing people of colour in the Australian service industries, and the pressures on the men and woman at the literal coalface of our minerals boom.
Ultimately, One Hour No Oil is a poignant exploration of what it is to find friendship where we least expect it – in the company of those we’ve been conditioned to see as ‘other’.
Available to Tour
2025
Artform
Theatre, Drama
Audience
Suitable for 18+
Warnings
This production contains strong language, haze, references to mental health, self-harm, racism, and
misogyny.
Duration
90 minutes
No interval
Venue Format
Theatre (Proscenium), Civic/Cultural Centre, Black Box, Studio, Thrust, Town Hall
Touring Party
3 Performers
1 Production Manager
1 Stage Manager
Previous Season
KXT Sydney (2022)
10 Performances
Selected for Belvoir 25A (2020)
What people are saying
★ ★ ★ ★ .5 “The intricate weave of high-quality writing, outstanding ensemble performances, movement and physicality, sound, music and lighting combine to deliver a profound and powerful play that is superbly acted. Without a doubt, One Hour No Oil deserves a larger and wider audience. ” Arts Hub
★ ★ ★ ★ .5 “Meticulously considered, cleverly constructed and deeply felt… The new show by Kwento is amazing and you need to see it.” ️️️️ Suzy Wrong
“A must see for all Australian adults. This is diverse storytelling at its best.” Theatre Travels
“[a] breath of fresh air…It has been some time since I saw something so engaging.” Have Enough
“A two-hander of uncommon power, perception and nuance. It’s an easy evening of theatre, written and performed with a gentle warmth that belies a deeper darkness. ” Theatre Red
“Everything about this play is delicate and balanced under Moraleda’s direction…The visual of these vastly different characters learning to move in uneasy harmony and the broader ripples their relationship creates in each of their lives sticks in your head long after the memory of dialogue falls away.” Toasting Aussie Theatre
Key Audiences
- Subscribers, drama lovers, and fans of new Australian writing.
- Theatre lovers seeking an innovative, intimate, and immersive experience.
One Hour No Oil is especially suited to connect with:
- Filipino and migrant diaspora.
- Those with service and industry experience, labour advocates. and labor advocates.
- Those interested in Men’s mental health.
- Audiences keen to explore identity and cultural difference.
- Students and academics with an interest in gender and psychology.
Selling Points
- Cultural Diversity: an honest, easy, and revelatory journey that offers a fresh perspective on cultural identity and the migrant experience.
- Timely Themes: a beautiful exploration of migration, work culture, mental health, masculinity, and friendship.
- Post-Show Conversation Starter: audiences will be talking about this story long after the curtain closes, and post-show Q&As are encouraged!
- Potential for Reflection: the play prompts the audience to reflect on their own lives, relationships, and social responsibility.
- Intriguing Premise: a series of massage appointments is an intriguing backdrop for the exploration of deep human experiences and connection.
Engagement Potential
One Hour No Oil brings with it the potential to access an activate your community in meaningful and lasting ways:
- Post-Show Panels – invite mental health and men’s health advocates and experts to join our creatives on stage to unpack themes from the work.
- Filipino Community – we can help you identify how to tap the enormous population of Filipino Australians, many of whom may not be engaging with your venue… yet.
- Wellness Expo – turn your foyer into a mini expo of local mental health and wellness services, artists, and advocates for a pre and post-show experience that invites the community to linger longer.
- Charity Benefit – leverage a local men’s health or wellness initiative by creating a special presentation evening to benefit their activity.
- Workshops – talk to us about directing, writing, and improvised composition workshops.
About Kwento
kwento was created in December 2020 seeking to create new Australian works, that challenge the norms of Australian society. kwento’s core aim is to produce and present engaging and diverse work whilst creating opportunities for artists across experience levels and disciplines. kwento believes in: collaboration, advocacy, community engagement, diversity, inclusion, care of artist and dedication to mentorship.
About Kenneth Moraleda
Kenneth Moraleda (He/Him) is an actor/writer/director/creative producer of Filipino descent. He is one the resident artists at Sydney Theatre Company (STC/CAAP Directing Initiative). He recently directed The Marriage Agency (KXT 2022), Ate Lovia (Redline Productions/Old Fitz), Blowback as part of EAT ME (STC/NIDA), and Chop Chef with Nicole Pingon (Blush/Riverside).
Credits include: Director- Rough Draft #48 Hubris and Humiliation, Assistant Director – Playing Beatie Bow, How to Rule the World and The Deep Blue Sea (STC} He directed developments for Na’s Marriage Agency (Next In Line), and The Grocer (Belvoir).
Kenneth is highly experienced in workshop delivery and facilitation having worked with leaders in their field including CAAP, Hayes Theatre Co, NToP, PWA, and ATYP.
www.kennethmoraleda.com
About Jordan Shea
Jordan Shea (He/Him) is a Filipino-Australian writer and teacher. A graduate from the VCA (Writing) and Uni of Notre Dame (Theatre/Education) his work includes: Ate Lovia (Old fitz), Kasama Kita (Belvoir 25a), The House at Boundary Road (old 505), CAGE (Old 505) and Intersection (ATYP).
Jordan has co-won the Philip Parsons Playwriting Fellowship, and was runner up in the Best New Play award at the Australian Theatre Festival in New York. Jordan is currently under commission with Performing Lines, for a new work: Diwa.
Jordan is a sought-after facilitator and teacher, having worked with SUDS, Belvoir,and Australian Plays Transform to deliver classes focusing on writing personal stories by marginalised voices. He also works as a secondary school English teacher and is passionate about young people and the arts.
www.jordanpshea.com
